


Decisions

by Ladyfiction



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 05:53:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2298839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladyfiction/pseuds/Ladyfiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke Uchiha has made a decision. He did not understand at first but reluctantly accepted that he has developed feelings for his best friend and rival, Naruto Uzumaki. All risks are calculate... but he has no idea how Naruto will react, when he shows up on his doorstep and confesses. Will their friendship survive these decisions? [Alternate Universe, High School - Yaoi - Sasu x Naru, Kaka x Iru + Others]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The decision is made

**Author's Note:**

> Super nervous right now. Okay. Haven't posted in a very long time. So this story deserves a brief introduction because it will most likely consume me until I complete it – yes, I have the full intention if finishing and the plot line is already created, which is good news!
> 
> My fiancé challenged me to make a VERY believable Sasuke x Naruto story of their blossoming relationship because he personally favors Sasuke x Sakura – can't blame him, he is a fanboy after all. But my corrupt inner fangirl took his challenge and came up with this AU (alternate universe) where our cast and crew – you will meet lots of characters inside – are in a sports academy/high school. Yay, so original right? You'll see. That is just the backdrop. The focus is on Naruto and Sasuke – rivals in the art of kendo. I do not claim that any of my information in regards to kendo is correct, (such as tournament/championship information) I have seen a million animes and so battle sequences are just too much fun not to write. It'll all make sense soon – my only spoiler is that I'm already five chapters in. This is just a sample. Remember, this is also a romance between two fifteen year old guys. There's also some Kakashi x Iruka as well. More pairings to come.
> 
> Please read and review. Your encouragements will get chapters updated sooner. I need motivation. Any idea or suggestions, feel free to let me know. I want this to be amazing for everyone. This is supposed to be plausible and realistic without losing the feel and style of a manga universe/storyline.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, its characters, or its universe.

**-=Chapter 1 – The decision is made=-**

This story begins with a decision. And what may have spurred such an astonishing moment in time? 

_The way he smiles at me._

Sasuke now knows that the next conversation he is going to have with Naruto will change the dynamics of their relationship for the remainder of their lives.

The doubts began early in his mind. As he softly kissed Sakura’s forehead, then her cheek, and finally her delicate, glossy lips, the spark between them disappeared in a whisper. It felt listless, clumsy, and retreating; Sasuke hurried his goodbye. The flame went out, he realized as he told her that he loved her and her heart, even to this day, flutters at the memory. It is the last time she will hear them… and believe them genuinely. Sasuke knows that he loves Sakura, she is one of his closest friends, and now he anguishes in silence over this decision.

Young love. So promising. She is the best female student in their elite private school. He is an Uchiha. Her genius and gene pool were also very promising, albeit stemming from a lower social circle. His father Fugaku, nonetheless, approved of his selection. Although she is funded by scholarships and student loans, Haruno Sakura is a top student, fiercely motivated with drive and intelligence to succeed. Sasuke hears his father describe her mechanically; he highlights her unprecedented grades and humble beginnings. The perfect woman to mold. A woman who will appreciate wealth but not abuse it in her future. One who will know her place. 

These speeches disgust him; across the table, Itachi deftly changes the conversation to business matters. His mother, Mikoto, gently nods her head at Sasuke to reassure him. His grip on the table cloth loosens. This is the Uchiha family. His father is shallow, conceited, and arrogant – his mother, ever calm and placid to the tense bonds they all share. She is malleable and cushions the blows of disappointment. But she is very soft with her children and listens to their concerns in private. 

‘’Mother, I… I know that father enjoys Sakura very much’’

‘’I do too,’’ Mikoto interrupted her son.

‘’I am not in love with Sakura. There is no spark between us anymore. She is more like a sister, or…mother.’’ 

‘’There is no attraction, then, I assume?’’ 

Sasuke scoffed, albeit, embarrassed by his mother’s braise comments. ‘’Sakura is gorgeous. Hundreds of my classmates ogle her. Naruto loves her too.’’ 

‘’Sasuke, your decisions must always be made from within your heart.’’ Mikoto placed a hand on her son’s chest and kissed his forehead. ‘’You’re 15, Sasuke, you are allowed to be unsure of yourself. You do whatever your heart tells you. One day, I promise, it will tell you the truth.’’ Her smile was coy and her laughter mirthful.

Sasuke loved his mother; she guided him with disguised wisdom and absolute diligence. She never pushed his buttons or yelled. The voice of reason, he mused. She always helped and always would without question. They understood one another. That was their bond. Her relationship with his father baffled him though. Even his mother was flawed to some extent. His once childish eyes asked her why, _why did they have to put up with his anger?_ She told him that he did not understand his father and when he finally did, it would all make sense to him. 

This decision took two weeks to make; he told his parents, right before their trip to Dubai, that he and Sakura were only good friends now. The disappointment in his father’s eyes shunned his son into silence, as they departed for their vacation. 

Itachi offered Sasuke a fine dinner and good conversation to clear his mind of that distasteful happening. They ended up dining at his favorite restaurant but even the amazing food tasted bland. There it was again – that word kept echoing in his brain – his father said that he had _failed_. 

‘’So, what went wrong, Sasuke?’’

The younger Uchiha sighed. 

‘’I felt like I was lying to her and to myself. I didn’t want to lose my friend, but I did. I could not give her what she wanted.’’ 

‘’At least you are truly honest with yourself, little brother. Perhaps one day, she will become your friend again. Best friends that escalate their relationships often find it difficult to return to a platonic one immediately. I hope that you do.’’ 

‘’I hope that you’re right.’’ 

‘’And there’s no one else, Sasuke? Dad assumes that your hormones are making your dark eyes wander somewhere else.’’ Itachi laughed to himself, because Sasuke was not amused by the undertones of the statement. 

‘’Of course not. My decision is based solely on my heart, as Mother would say.’’ 

Itachi, however, did not believe Sasuke. He smiled and dismissed the topic though; his little brother was allowed to have secrets. He did, nonetheless, want to see Sasuke happy as opposed to dismal looking.

‘’You are not a failure, Sasuke. You should not be judged on your decisions about love, when you have barely felt it enough to know what it is you want.’’  
The younger brother nodded. Itachi was the stoic voice of logic in the family. It reassured him but the damage was done regardless by the cruel undertones of his father’s statement. 

‘’Your decisions continue to disappoint me – they are failures.’’

Sasuke liked Naruto – his best friend. The foreigner, as his father often said, the foreigner with amazing skills. Uzumaki Naruto, pupil of Jiraiya-sama, the number one ranked kendo master of Japan for a decade. Jiraiya is Naruto’s grandfather. Albeit long retired, his legend is infamous. The man now, Naruto laughs, is an old pervert that runs an international printing company. Sasuke Uchiha is a kendo prodigy. Fugaku was a renowned trainer – a strict disciple of martial arts and kendo. His children were forced to continue his teachings and Sasuke will compete in the championships; he is expected to win. Itachi retired, undefeated, and after five years, a new Uchiha is fit to compete for gold. The first international tournament in exactly four years. 

They are rivals and best friends. And if they were anything else, to his father, Sasuke would be a failure. 

Their relationship began in kindergarten; Naruto arrived from America with his uncle Iruka and began school in Japanese. He immediately showed no progress or ease for school, whereas Sasuke excelled far beyond his class and was placed on the proverbial pedestal of perfection. By mid school year, an unruly and untamed five year old Naruto punched Sasuke in the nose and the Uchiha retaliated by shoving Uzumaki into the mud and kicking him hard in the side. They were not friends. 

Naruto was transferred within the year. Sasuke never seen him again, until he began his first year of junior high. The bright blonde with big blue eyes was but a distant memory, a fleeting thought, and yet on his first day, they announced the arrival of a new student, Uzumaki Naruto and it all came flooding back to him. 

By noon, Naruto put the pieces together as well and his cocky smile disgusted Sasuke instantly. 

‘’I punched you in the face, in kindergarten, didn’t I?’’ Naruto asked and Sasuke, seated behind him, narrowed his eyes at the blonde boy. 

‘’And I threw you in the mud.’’ He said through grit teeth. 

‘’Oh yea, I remember, and you kicked me, what an asshole you are.’’ 

Their conversation drew the attention of their peers. Pale green eyes watched the bickering begin from across the classroom. Haruno Sakura stood up and stormed over to the commotion. Instantly, they discovered that this young woman was their class president. Her words stung like the bitterness of the artic. But her eyes and mouth spewed fire and brimstone. 

‘’I was also in that very same classroom gentlemen, and if I recall correctly, you both cried like little babies and your mothers made you hug after class and apologize to each other.’’ 

They immediately diverted their eyes to the interfering presence. Their faces were suddenly horrified. Naruto gawked and pointed profusely, while a disgruntled Sasuke dropped back into his seat in defeat. 

‘’Next time you two act up in my classroom, I’ll make you hug after class.’’ 

Their colleagues roared with laughter. Sakura felt faint on her feet. Sasuke, she sighed dreamily, was still gorgeous. They were in every grade together, henceforth, until the Uchiha family moved away for two years, for “business”. It has been seven hundred and thirty eight days since she has seen him. Her studies have paid off; for the next three years, she will be studying at this prestigious academy through a scholarship. 

_If only to see him…_

Sakura has always loved telling people the story of how they met and fell in love. The best of their class – Sakura excelled in biology, chemistry, and science – and Sasuke was a genius in mathematics, business, and commerce. On her fourteenth birthday, he gave her a cherry blossom necklace, and they became the perfect young couple for almost a full year. 

Naruto was bitterly jealous. He pinned over Sakura for months, trying desperately to reenter her good graces, after his first stunt with Sasuke. His grades were low and attendance shoddy, but Sakura, he insisted, would become his best friend. She would grow to love him. And she did. Naruto was very loveable. Sakura drowned in the innocence of his blue eyes and accepted his blameless flaws. They made him unique. No one could ever question Naruto’s skills at kendo – he was astounding. Everyone believed in Naruto – especially his rival, Sasuke. Under their talented mentor, Hatake Kakashi, both young men became the school’s most prominent stars. Sakura was proud of her friends for their outstanding achievements and she was rewarded with her dream – Sasuke Uchiha. 

Inevitably, Fugaku took an interest in the bespectacled events of his son’s school. 

‘’You should keep you friends close, Sasuke and keep your enemies closer. If no one else compares to you and your rival, then you should stand alone on that platform with him. Know him. Know his weaknesses. Know when he is vulnerable. This boy should be your best friend and then and _only_ then you will be able to defeat him.’’ 

Not all advice, Itachi told Sasuke one day, is wanted or desired. But that is exactly what Sasuke did. He and Naruto became best friends, despite the numerous yelling matches, punches, and sore egos. They trained together, fought, screamed, and defeated each other, countless times. They were brothers now. Kakashi taught them the value of friendship and encouraged them to accept one another, regardless of the other’s imperfections. Naruto was selfless and easily manipulated. Sasuke was introverted and distant but possessed great leadership skills. They finally understood each other and that was rare. Not only could they fight one another but together they were harmonious in their techniques. 

And all of that fell apart when Sasuke asked Sakura to be his girlfriend. 

Sasuke never asked if this would bother Naruto – Sakura was their unspoken truce. She was never mentioned and off limits to both friends. Or so he thought. Naruto drowned in these thoughts for several days – over the first weekend in March, he remembers it so well, and the following Monday, he dried his tears and faked a smile for all to see.

Sakura loved to see Naruto smile and made it her mission to see those blue eyes light up in joy again. It did not take long for her to sit by Naruto’s side, hold his hand, and tell him that nothing will ever change between them. She thinks that her presence will alter his friendship with Sasuke and she is determined to prevent that from happening. Naruto accepts her attempts at consolation but only Sakura leaves the conversation feeling satisfied with the results. The blonde is not mad at Sakura – he loves her, yes, and it hurt, but he is mad at Sasuke now. He smiles sadly at her back as she walks away. Would she ever love him in that way? 

The rift in their friendship began the next day, at first practice, almost immediately. Naruto arrived early – this was a rare occurrence. Sasuke was already inside and warming up. Their meet only started at 7am. But Naruto knew that he would find Sasuke here. 

‘’Good morning, Sasuke’’ Naruto grit through his teeth, as he brandished his weapon and took a fighting stance. 

‘’Go change first and get warmed up, then I’ll take you up on a quick spare.’’ 

But Naruto charged. He promised Iruka he would not. He promised Jiraiya he would not. And yet it happened. This needed to happen. Naruto roared as he struck the first blow, as hard as he could swing. He instantly broke through Sasuke’s defensive stance and the Uchiha’s eyes narrowed, as he stumbled to the floor, on his ass. 

‘’Naruto, what the hell was that?’’ he spat at his adversary but the blue eyes staring back at him were seeing red.

Sasuke stood up cautiously. He was serious now. 

‘’You’re a fucking asshole, Sasuke.’’ Naruto seethed. A growl erupted from his chest and he struck at Sasuke with another set of vigorous blows. ‘’You didn’t even ask if it was okay – how dare you!” 

Sasuke escaped the relentless attack and put space between the two of them. He was caught completely off guard. That look in Naruto’s eyes – Anger. Hate. Betrayal.

It was because he decided to ask Sakura to be his girlfriend.

His father was upset about Itachi’s medical condition. Furious. The results came in. Only Sasuke would be able to produce grandchildren. His announcement to the family pleased his Father greatly and appeased the household stress. Itachi was then able to mourn, Sasuke assumed, in silence, until that rage crept up from the shadows again, in a few days. Their father’s attention desperately needed to be redirected elsewhere and Itachi had yet to open up about these matters

Decisions, Sasuke realized, _can_ and _will_ alter the course of life without any warning. Certain things are not considered in the seconds leading up to the decision. Right now, he could lose Naruto forever. In the dojo that morning, Sasuke was terrified that Naruto would abandon their friendship for this. He had never realized how important that it was to him. But it was. And this was his fault. He deserved to feel Naruto’s mistrust, anger, and disappointment. His decision was selfish to him and selfless for another. He made it because he felt that it was his responsibility to openly reciprocate Sakura’s advances and fulfill his father’s wishes, to grant Itachi privacy in his personal life. 

That day, Naruto beat up Sasuke and screamed at him about respect but they still somehow managed to shake hands and shrug it off before their practice began. Sasuke now knew what it meant to have a best friend stand beside you no matter what – even after that. His eyes watered and Naruto tried to conceal his own tears with a sheepish grin.

Now here he was, almost a year later, ready to ask his best friend out on a date.

Sasuke did not want to ruin their friendship. It was happening again; he felt as if he could lose it all, in just one second, like back then…

He knocked on Naruto’s apartment door and unceremoniously, a familiar voice from inside lazily called out, “Come in!!!” from the couch in the living room. 

The usual sight greeted Sasuke. Naruto was playing video games. The second controller was seated on top of his pile of homework. Sasuke grabbed it and joined the game. It calmed his nerves. Naruto was making funny sounds as his character repeatedly died. He could not help but smirk. 

‘’So what’s up Sasuke, haven’t seen you since Friday.’’ 

Sunday night. Raining. Iruka was working late. Sasuke pushed aside Naruto’s empty ramen bowl and set the controller down. He kept fidgeting. And sighing. 

‘’Seriously dude, what’s up? You look off.’’ 

Sasuke nodded. Words were too hard right now. His voice sounded strained. 

‘’Naruto, I’ve made a decision and I wanted to talk to you about it.’’ 

‘’Hey hey! Did you meet a woman? Ouuuh, tell me!’’ Naruto was grinning madly in anticipation. 

This was exactly why Sasuke liked Naruto so much. His enthusiasm. His carefree demeanor. His motivation and honesty. It was written all over his face.

_The way he smiles at me._

He was afraid to simply say “I like you” and see that smile fade away. Would he have to watch Naruto become confused and angry with him? This decision… was it… still… _possible_? How could they ever go back to being friends? Would these feelings disappear if Naruto rejected him? Even he and Sakura were still tense and uneasy most of the time now. Would he jeopardize this friendship as well? 

‘’I have to tell you this, because if I don’t, I’ll continue to feel like I’m lying to you…Naruto – I like you.’’ 

Sasuke sighed such a deep exhale of guilt, fear, and frustration that even though he felt empty, and completely open, no matter what, he would fix this.  
Naruto blinked a few times and laughed awkwardly but kept his composure. He wanted to ask a million questions and yet his mouth produced nothing but moist air and saliva as it hung open. These questions were not easy to pronounce either. 

‘’Okay, I know I shouldn’t talk just so that this isn’t awkward, but I am, and I’m going to ramble, or I’ll stop talking, so I didn’t want to be quiet and make you wait in silence for an answer that I can’t seem to give you because I don’t really understand it all yet and so… I’m going to have to ask you to elaborate some more for me.’’ 

Sasuke was relieved that Naruto managed words so fluently, even if jumbled. He expected a lengthy silence and gawking for several minutes. He had played this event through in his mind a thousand times now. His words were shaky and scrambled but cautious. He felt as if Naruto was being gentle and amusing to ease the situation. That smile was there though, at the end of his sentence, pleading with Sasuke for the rest of the conversation. 

‘’This is not a confession, Naruto. I’m not hiding anything from you. I’m trying to be as honest as humanly possible. I find myself staring at you sometimes and admiring you. That’s not an easy thing to admit you know… I can’t explain it simply for you. I can’t make you understand me. I know that I like you, Naruto, because I like you more than I ever loved Sakura.’’ 

‘’Is this a crush, then? Like, you think I’m so amazing you secretly admire me?’’ 

Their eye contact broke as Sasuke shook his head in the beginnings of frustration. 

‘’I don’t fawn over you like I’m some mindless half-wit, you’re my best friend and I respect you. I compete with you. I am proud to have you stand beside me, regardless of any of this…’’ 

‘’Sorry Sasuke, you’re being so serious and I’m being a clown. I know you’re not a fangirl. And you are my best friend. This is just strange to me because you’re my brother. You’re like family to me. At least to me…’’ 

‘’I know…’’ 

That was the hardest part. Naruto had always felt like a brother, at first, but more like his counterpart now. They were opposites yet blended perfectly together. He felt balanced with Naruto. He was someone who lived life almost exactly as he did. Naruto’s presence calmed his nerves usually; his lame jokes made him chuckle inside. There was something unspoken between them. Sasuke thought that perhaps those words were… 

‘’I guess you saw past that, right? And that’s why you’re here now.’’ 

Sasuke never needed a brother figure; Itachi always stood beside him with a guiding hand. Naruto was his vitality, his energy, his drive for success – competition, that thrive for glory. Their relationship was already complex; best friends andeach other’s rivals in the kendo world. They fueled one another at practice every morning and began their days together. Had class together. Ate lunch together. Studied together. 

‘’I get it, I’m your brother. I’m sorry. I really don’t want this to ruin our friendship. I respect you too much for this to come between us.’’ 

Naruto expected those words – Sasuke was retreating at the first possible exit. He was afraid of rejection. His fingers were twitching nervously at the cuffs of his navy sweatshirt.

‘’Don’t blame yourself Sasuke, it just means you discovered something about yourself. I… I really don’t know how I feel though. I’m sorta seeing Hinata tomorrow night – we have a date. Your decision is a really big one…there’s a lot for me to consider.’’ 

‘’I know.’’ 

‘’Can I have some time to think about it?’’

‘’Of course…I can go. I get it.’’ 

Sasuke was up instantly, even before the sentence finished falling from his lips. This was fight or flight. Was this even a fight? Was there even a chance? He stood there, frozen in fear, a few steps away from the exit. 

‘’Sasuke… thank you for your honesty.’’ 

‘’Any time.’’ It was sincere, but Sasuke said it abruptly. He headed for the door without even daring to look back. It would only hurt more. 

The decision was made. 

What would happen now?

**-=TBC=-**


	2. Inside and Outside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the reviews and kudos. I'm almost done CH5 now and hopefully, by later today, I'll have posted another one-shot. So as much as this story is SasuNaru - you have to get through Naruto and Hinata's date first. Sorry everyone. Besides, every great story needs context right. I want everyone to focus on Hinata - I personally do not like her as a character but that doesn't mean that her character personality shouldn't be good. So let me know if you all agree with the flow now and direction.
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : Nothing.

**-=Chapter 2 – Inside and Outside=-**

There was no way for Naruto’s brain to process what had just happened. There was that word. Gay. Was he gay? That was a big question. Plenty of people were gay. Kakashi was very happy with his uncle. Ten years now together. 

But was _he_ … 

The conversation he had with Iruka later that night helped organize and clarify his thoughts.

‘’Wow, Naruto… that is quite the bombshell,’’ 

His blonde nephew was silently staring into his cup of tea, completely drained. He explained everything. It took almost forty five minutes and a solo monologue of dysfunctional phrases but his heart felt lighter and the blinding confusion in his chest began to dissipate. 

Sasuke was his brother. Family. The only _brother_ he ever had. But had Sasuke ever asked for this bonded kinship? He wanted a best friend. Naruto was his best friend and always would be; he could not stress this enough to Iruka. This was the first trigger. He would do anything for Sasuke. Earlier that day, he was ready to go with him to space and fight aliens. Or bury some corrupt judge’s body. Disappear to Panama with new identities even. Naruto confessed that he was even prepared to lose to Sasuke in the World Championships. They were _like_ brothers… nothing had really changed yet. 

But being gay… Iruka knew how Naruto felt about this. This topic was broached many years ago. It provided Naruto with a better insight into his own beliefs about the world and its inhabitants. Iruka was proud of him for possessing such a caring and loving soul, open to differences in races, ethnicity, and gender. 

Love knows no boundaries. It defies all. 

‘’I respect everyone, Iruka. I don’t judge anyone for their preferences or interests. That’s not really fair. Everyone, to me, is equal. I guess if love is like that, then I should give everyone the same chance…’’ 

Hinata. He really liked Hinata. Five minutes before Sasuke wandered over earlier, he was texting Hinata some flirty messages. There was no denying his instant attraction for her. He brought up the topic of girls to Sasuke, in order to talk about Hinata. So soft, and delicate, but he was hoping that she was mysterious and coy, not too innocent underneath it all. He wanted to cuddle up to her and steal a kiss, so audaciously… but Hinata had approached Naruto first, a blushing exchange student, lost in the crowd of students. He was polite and smiled a lot. She was really pretty. Before they departed, she asked to have lunch with Naruto. But he had detention. Then, she was lost to him. Neji, her cousin intervened and kept them socially apart by the next morning.

After a year of passing smiles and small courtesies, Naruto decided to ask her out for lunch. Sakura and Hinata were class partners and that gave Naruto the perfect excuse to saunter over and chitchat habitually with them. She was thrilled. Instantly, all his fears of rejection flooded from his pride and after their meal, he bought them ice cream before returning to class. It was perfect. He wanted so badly for it to be amazing. No lack of conversation, he kept making her laugh and smile. No talk of fighting, because most girls are not interested in that stuff. Don’t seem too desperate…

Hinata gave him her number. Naruto was celebrating inside, as he entered her digits into his cellphone. Best afternoon ever. And that was Friday. 

_Bad timing Sasuke_ , he mused loudly over tepid tea. Iruka laughed. 

This date was much anticipated. Up until now. It was hard to think of Sasuke, when it seemed so natural to think about the blushing Hinata, but he knew that no matter what, he would go out with best friend as well and try to find an answer that way. Then, he would decide. 

‘’I am proud of you Naruto, this is a great way to make a decision.’’ Iruka approved. But he warned Naruto that being fair and open may not be as easy as he believed, on each date. ‘’I know you’re excited about Hinata. That’s good. Don’t let it overshadow your decision though. I am not going to lecture or scold you about this, you’re just so young…and dating is…well, different at my age, but Naruto, when you sit with each of them, think… does this person make me smile a lot, are they interesting to talk to? Do they make my heart skip a beat or stir up a flutter of butterflies in my stomach? Do they understand me and I them? Is there chemistry? If you judge them each on similar ideals and qualities, that may help you see if either of them is right for you. Maybe you won’t date either, kiddo.’’ 

Naruto had never thought of that. 

‘’Thanks Iruka. I understand… I feel a lot better now. And you’re right, I’ll probably have to date a hundred people before I find that one special person like you.‘’ He finished his cold tea, rinsed the cup, and headed for bed. 

But he did not sleep most of the night. Not good. He wanted to be well rested and chipper for Hinata. Before training, he stopped and bought two energy drinks. Of course, this made him late, and Kakashi was not impressed, especially not when Naruto burped out loud from chugging his carbonated drink. Monday mornings with Kakashi were always the hardest. He was subjected to extra laps to sweat off the caffeine and he did not see Sasuke in the locker rooms before class. That, he sighed in the showers, was preferable.

He was late for his languages course and miserable the entire time. His stomach hurt. His eyes felt heavy. His head was throbbing. After class, he begged Sakura for pain relievers and ate a muffin she bought for him. She was his savior. He would see Hinata in mathematics and he eagerly arrived as early as possible. There she was, as expected, chatting with her colleagues. Naruto strolled over to say good morning. It made her blush. Her friends giggled. She promised not to be late for their date, which made it public knowledge, he realized. 

Lunch. And then Neji. Another bad thing. The senior did not seem pleased with the gossip. His looks were menacing and eyes dangerously narrowed at one target. Naruto sighed and he headed outside the cafeteria, to the front of the school yard. If they were going to do this, let it be outside. Hopefully, his detention for this would be tomorrow, not after school. 

‘’I thought I told you to get lost. Hinata is not worthy of your time, Uzumaki.’’ Neji yelled at his underclassmen and drew a small crowd of onlookers from the ruckus.

‘’Then why did she give me her number?’’ Naruto rolled up his bright orange sleeves and raised his fists.

Hinata appeared behind them just then but remained silent. Her face was already stained in dark scarlet reds of embarrassment and anger. Neji was dragged away unwillingly by his furious cousin. Their argument was not very private, even at a distance. He had to admit, Hinata yelling like that was kind of sexy. Naruto smiled sheepishly as he watched her defend him. He was so happy and intrigued in that moment. She was fighting for him. It was nice. 

Neji did not return to face Naruto. The blonde only watched the senior’s back walk away from him and inside again. Hinata hurried over and began apologizing profusely for Neji’s behavior. She then muttered lowly about her family and winced at how pathetic she felt before the love of her heart. 

But there he was, Naruto Uzumaki, smiling at her, regardless of everything else. This was so exhilarating. Her father would be hysterical. Neji already was beyond hateful. She felt freedom with Naruto and it pleased her knowing that the misogynistic men in her life were utterly revolted by her decision. She would make her own decisions from now on.

Naruto never suspected that Hinata could ever harbor such strong emotions; she was a sweetheart, so fragile and honeyed. He did not understand that Hinata wanted to rebel against her lineage and responsibilities. Naruto wanted a flower he could caress and care for. He liked awing her with his stories. The admiration in her eyes was overwhelming. Hinata did admire Naruto; he was outgoing, boisterous, energetic, and loudly outspoken. He would crush her tyrannical father and manipulative cousin. Naruto would save her. But Hinata did not want to be a princess or a damsel in distress, she wanted to free her spirit and find a new, brave voice for the world to hear. That message was clear – she loathed her oppressor’s ideals. But she needed a knight to stand behind her values and enforce them. 

His name instantly drew a smile to her lips. Naruto Uzumaki. Kendo World Champion. She knew he would win. The first official championship title in four years would be his. She knew exactly who he was. His genuine heart and caring nature would nurture her soul into something beautiful and serene again. If only she could be his girlfriend, when he won the tournament – that would instantly earn their approval. If only he would fall in love with her...

Naruto…she would whisper to him softly. Naruto… 

‘’Hey Hinata!’’ Her translucent eyes opened to the very sight of Naruto himself.

‘’Naruto, hi,’’ 

The date began on a high note. Naruto was bold and fearless. He dared such a trick early on and embraced her in his arms without any hesitation. She furiously blushed a deep scarlet into his chest, where she smiled deliriously to herself. But his antics did not end there; he ended the hug with a sneaky kiss against her cheek. 

Naruto asked to meet away from the school, away from the gossiping of their peers. Hinata agreed, even if she wanted everyone to see them. There was space between them again. He smiled brightly at her and she continued to shyly grin in embarrassment. His hand took hers as they walked and he began their conversation on a casual tone. 

‘’How was your day?’’ 

‘’Oh, it was fine, Naruto. Thank you for asking.’’ 

The first moment of silence struck them instantly. 

He could not help but chuckle. ‘’You’re supposed to ask me how my day was too, silly’’ 

She echoed his laughter but felt awkward doing so. ‘’Sorry, sorry, I wasn’t thinking, I just…’’ 

Naruto did not let her effort go to waste. ‘’I get it, you’re nervous. If we’re being honest, so am I. I don’t really know how to impress a nice girl like you, and I really don’t want to bore you with kendo training stuff, so I hope that this little restaurant we’re going to is okay with you. I love ramen, I always want ramen. It’s amazing!’’ 

Hinata burst out laughing. ‘’I know that you love ramen Naruto, everyone knows.’’ He was adorable to her, so open and free, ‘’I would like that very much. Thank you.’’ 

At the restaurant, he pulled out her chair like a gentleman. Their table was in the corner, near the window. Low lighting. Nice music. He asked the owner to set the mood and he definitely pulled through for his best client. Usually the television would be on, showing a movie or a sports game. Being a regular sometimes paid off. Hinata ordered the seafood platter; Naruto merely nodded at the waiter and like magic, he understood. Again, she laughed at his antics. The waiter knew exactly what he wanted. The chef’s delight. Only Naruto could order such a bowl. He loved telling her these things about himself, as if his connections were impressive. She found him utterly entertaining. The restaurant, she thought, was very nice, quaint, and the food was good. Although he found his bowl utterly delicious and the second one as well, Hinata’s reaction was rather impassive and meek. She always thanked him. 

‘’Yes, it is good, thank you.’’

But _he_ continued to impress her with every new statement or opinion. Their conversation was very limited though. Hinata was relatively quiet as she ate and Naruto was too hungry to talk more than he found necessary.

Another topic struck him. Hinata, like Sakura, was a genius. Surely, school would be a topic that would interest her.

‘’How did you do on Gai-sensei’s anatomy quiz yesterday?’’ Naruto for the sake of conversation. 

‘’Excellent, the anatomy of a human being is very interesting to me.’’ 

‘’Ahhhh, I see. I just can’t seem to get the hang of the names. It’s usually close, but wrong!’’ 

‘’I could help you study, Naruto. I am good at many subjects.’’ 

‘’Why thanks, Hinata. I know you’re very smart, and you’re so nice too. I could use some help… with everything.’’ 

They both laughed.

‘’Which class should we start with, then?’’ 

They walked and talked about school, as they headed for dessert. Of course Naturo had room for dessert. His appetite, she noted, was ravenous at times. He simply winked at her. 

Naruto brought Hinata back down to where they shared their first ice cream cones together. Different flavors this time. He insisted upon tasting hers. Very flirty. She liked how audacious he became at times. It still made her blush though and breathe a little faster. Naruto was eating a mango and pineapple delight, whereas Hinata chose a mixed coffee bean flavor. Their tastes differed, it seemed. 

‘’Do you like yours more than last time’s choice?’’ 

Hinata pondered the question. ‘’No, the espresso tasted much better than just coffee and vanilla bean.’’ 

‘’Huh, I see.’’ 

Again, Naruto noticed that Hinata did not continue their conversation. He wanted to tell her that his mango pineapple sorbet was amazing but she did not ask him. This disappointed him. The conversation was becoming increasingly hard for him to sustain or begin, without seeming random and desperate. Not good. He touched based on the basics, asked her about her interests, spoke of school with her…now what? 

Then, he also remarked that Hinata kept smiling at him, even during their awkward silences. He often caught her staring at him and he would laugh it off ashamedly. But she would not speak. Only giggle and sigh. 

‘’So,’’ Naruto hesitated, as they sat down with their treats, ‘’are you interested in kendo?’’ He hated bringing up the topic because more often than not, his female peers would get annoyed with his chats about epic legends, past battles, and ancient warriors with incredible techniques. 

‘’I do. I find you very talented. Your battles are always so inspiring and incredible.’’ 

Naruto’s face instantly lit up. The cloud of woe above his head dispersed. Her words touched every part of his heart. Everything felt amazing again. A spark ignited. He knew it all along; she was the complete opposite of all of them. Hinata was unique. She was passionate about different sports and her school work, not makeup and social status. 

‘’I love it when you and Sasuke battle. Those matches are always the best. Everyone in school gets excited for those. It’s all anyone talks about when you guys are competing.’’

The blonde began to chuckle, clearly trying to hide his embarrassment. ‘’Thanks Hinata, I really appreciate your enthusiasm for kendo. It means a lot to me.’’ 

However, Naruto realized that he also felt awkward just then, because Hinata mentioned Sasuke. If only she knew how weird it was to hear her speak of him… that was the point of the dates, he knew, to decide. She did not need to know. She need only stay interested in him. 

Hinata happily smiled at Naruto, across from the top of her half eaten cone. ‘’You know, Naruto, I think that you’re going to win the tournament.’’

Naruto was quite surprised when Hinata voiced her opinion first, for the first time that evening. He felt encouraged by it; the topic, nonetheless, was hard for him to talk about, let alone to boast a supposed victory. He could not flaunt himself, until after he won. _If_ he won. But his opponent was still his best friend…and again, it felt uncomfortable inside. Naruto’s stomach, a churning of sorts. ‘’You’re such a sweetheart Hinata, cheering me on already, the tournament is in nine months, lots of things could happen before then.’’ He protested humbly with a much weaker smile. 

There it was. The only reason why people talked to him. He was someone. Popular. Almost famous, as Kakashi told them. On the cover of magazines, in articles, and newly plastered on buses, trains, and on the subway. Naruto sighed again, to try and dispel his negative thoughts. Not now. This was supposed to be a great date. It became perfect just a minute ago. No one understood how he felt about the tournament. Naruto was fighting for himself, not other people. Not even for Jiraiya’s pride or Sasuke. He respected the sport too much to pay attention to the gossip of his peers or the flash of the camera after his qualifying matches. 

‘’Do you not like talking about it, Naruto? You look strange. You should be happy. Everyone is voting for you.’’ 

‘’No, I don’t like talking about those things, sorry. I like talking about the fights, the moves, and the stances, how I read my opponent, those things. This tournament… I know it’s a big thing, but I have to think of that every morning, and during every practice, so with you, I just want to think of other things, you know.’’ Naruto finished his ice cream and cleaned his hands with a napkin. He offered one to her. 

She accepted. ‘’I’m sorry Naruto, I didn’t mean to upset you. It must be so stressful, always training, and school work on top of your load. I can always help you with school too… I just really wanted you to know that I think you’re amazing and that you’re much better than that spoiled rich snob Sasuke Uchiha. You’ll win, Naruto Uzumaki, I know you will.’’

Her smile was perfect in that moment and he accepted the honesty and pure intentions of her words. He smiled as well, but not in pride, like she wanted it to be. He forced one, for her sake. It was genuine in feeling though, sadly laced with a touch of underlying pity. She did not understand him at all it seemed. He realized that then.

Hinata pushed forward though. She was slightly confused as to why Naruto was suddenly reserved about the reason for his success. He should be confident and intrepid. Was her gallant knight suddenly hiding behind his modesty? She knew he loved kendo and so did she. She wanted him to know that.

‘’Perhaps you could tell me how you plan on defeating your foes? Your moves? Would that make you happy? I want to know how good you are. I want to see the next champion perform.’’ 

Naruto repeated to her that he did not like speaking of the World Championship Tournament. And it bothered him that Hinata shared the same mindset as their peers. They were choosing sides. Who would win? Naruto or Sasuke? Jiraiya’s descendant or the younger brother of the former retired champion? The friends chose to opt for silence instead, when pressed for their opinions. The match would definitely be close. But to predict it? To brag or gloat beforehand? He respected Sasuke more than that. Hinata did not. He also realized that. 

It struck Naruto that the most interesting conversation that he and Hinata shared was about kendo and it almost ruined her, in his eyes, because it hurt him deeply that she managed to find his sore spot. The poking and prodding never ended. Now from her. 

‘’Naruto…Naruto… are you in there, Naruto?’’ 

Hinata was standing in front of Naruto, a look of concern splayed across her brow as watery rivulets began to well in her eyes. It took a few seconds, but Naruto realized that he had completely zoned out for several minutes. His thoughts were devouring him, preoccupying him… he found it hard to focus now that he felt shaken and stirred with doubt. 

‘Sorry, Hinata, I kinda spaced there. I didn’t mean to upset you…’’ 

‘’If you’re not feeling well, we can go, Naruto…’’ 

‘’Oh no, Hinata, I’m good. Come on, let’s go, I wanted to take you to the arcades, if you don’t mind, there’s a surprise for you there.’’ 

‘’A surprise for me? At the arcade? I must admit, you are strange, Naruto, but very charming.’’

She watched him frown, grit his teeth, tense his jaw, and blink a lot, for two minutes and three seconds, before he responded to his name. She pronounced it four times in total. He was gone. This surprised her. She became nervous. At least he smiled again, she thought, although she also noticed that the creases in his brow remained present. He was thinking a lot… 

It made sense once they stepped up together to the claw machine. There were hundreds of stuffed animals inside. 

‘’Which one would you like, my lady? I guarantee that I can get anything in there!’’ Naruto’s confidence returned. She could see his vitality reappear. He held up his tokens for her to see. 

Hinata’s eyes lit up with joy. She wanted to believe that he was happy again. It seemed so cliché that he would win her a prize but it filled her with so much energy and excitement again. There walk was a silent one that lasted only several minutes. The arcade was just up the road. He held her hand as they crossed the street and she indulged in the soft feel of his larger hands.

She pointed to a lavender colored turtle with a pink heart on its shell. Naruto inserted his first coin and maneuvered the electronic claw over to the desired plushie. She was cheering loudly already. But it missed. Naruto’s jaw almost hit the floor. It was impossible. His eyes narrowed dangerously at his new enemy.

‘’I swear, I swear I never miss. Ask Sakura! Ask Sasuke! This is a fluke! Arrrgghhh! I always get the prize!’’ 

He jammed his token in the second time and resumed his hunt with a vengeance. This time he captured the target and the turtle hung there, very loosely in the claw. He moved it slowly. 

Hinata applauded as it gently approached the chute and before them, in that moment, the turtle swayed, fell, and onto the edge of the chute. Tilting, it slipped back inside the machine though and both teenagers screamed at the turtle through the thin glass. And then they laughed. 

‘’Oh Naruto, I believe you, trust me. I don’t need a silly turtle anyways.’’ 

‘’But Hinata, I have one token left, I’ll try one last time.’’ 

‘’Actually, Naruto, can I try?’’ 

Hinata’s question made Naruto happy again. She seemed absolutely enthralled with the game and that made her cute. He could fetch more tokens easily for her prize after. If it made her smile, then he would smile. She eagerly took the chip but hesitated before starting. 

‘’What would you like, Naruto?’’ 

‘’I want the fox one, at the back, but he’s at the bottom, with so many on top of him…so try for your turtle, Hinata.’’ 

She frowned at Naruto and ran to the back of the large bin of stuffed animals. She saw it. Bright orange with several red tails. One of its eyes was slightly crooked, but that made it special. Now, she was determined to claim it for Naruto. The last token echoed down the slot and the game lit up. She moved the claw to the back and released the lever. Naruto watched as it disappeared amongst the plushies and reemerged… empty. But her gesture shook up the placement and Naruto could see his fox right at the top. 

‘’There, now the amazing Naruto can get his fox himself!’’ 

No sooner did Hinata pronounce her words, did her cellphone begin to ring loudly in her pocket. Naruto had no time to react. He wanted to thank her; he would definitely catch the fox now. Her face, however, turned downcast and she began to mutter into her phone, before walking away from him. He hesitated to follow. 

‘’Naruto,’’ Hinata hung up her phone and jammed it back into her pocket. ‘’I need to go. Right now.’’ 

‘’Can I walk you back then?’’ 

She stood waiting at the arcade’s entrance and as Naruto approached her, she hugged him. He smiled triumphantly; nonetheless, many geeks were glaring at his success, for Hinata tilted her head up to Naruto and kissed him. It lasted seconds, tasted delicately sweet and ended so abruptly, as she hurried away from him. He stood there, almost dumbfounded. 

‘’Byeeeeee! Naruto!’’ She waved from outside. He seen her face, splayed in hot reds; she was the audacious one, in the end, stealing a real kiss from him. 

‘’Bye Hinata! See you tomorrow!’’ Naruto called back to her and waved as well. 

Once out of sight, he shook his head, grumbling to himself. How did that happen? 

**-=TBC=-**


	3. These questions have answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone else who felt disappointed by chapter 700, I hope this makes you feel a little happier inside. I was okay with it up until 699, then bam, the epilogue always kills it for me. I won’t sit here and complain though, I got to see Kakashi’s face carved into the monument. That right there – and his words to Sasuke, I love Kakashi Hatake. 
> 
> And srsly, why did they have to kill Neji? Sad face. 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** Nothing.

**-=Chapter 3 – These questions have answers=-**  
  


Naruto unlocked the door to his place and stepped into a quiet atmosphere. The kitchen, to his left, was empty but the dishes were drying on the rack and the tea pot was missing. He slid off his shoes and instantly regretted leaving his ringer on when the chime of his phone erupted from his pocket. Another text from Hinata – she explained that her father was strict with curfew – she had violin practice. _Strange_ , he mumbled, she never mentioned that she also played an instrument. That bothered him.

‘’So sorry again, Naruto. See you tomorrow xoxo”

He replied simply, ‘’See you tomorrow’’

This time, he turned the volume down as he headed into the living room. There, he found his uncle in front of a stack of paperwork and Kakashi lazily sprawled beside him with a book. Although he could ignore his phone until the morning, he could not avoid these two men, his guardians.

‘’How’d it go, Naruto?’’ Kakashi immediately asked. The book no longer interested him. A faint smile then appeared on Iruka’s lips but he continued grading his work wordlessly.

There he was. His _uncle_. His trainer. His annoyance.

‘’Really, Kakashi, I just walked in. Offer me tea at least.’’

The tea was tepid, he noted, but at least Kakashi made the effort to pour his glass and stir in the sugar.

‘’She’s too hung up in the hype of the tournament for me. I mean, I really like her… I spent like an hour walking around thinking, as she texted me apologies…and I feel like if she just understood me a little better, we could really hit it off…’’

‘’But,’’ Kakashi supplied, because he assumed that there would be something wrong.

‘’You know how, when you ask someone an opinion, but they don’t ask you yours…’’

He received a sympathetic nod.

‘’Well, Hinata never really wanted to start a conversation, or ask me any questions about myself. And she never revealed anything about herself either. But she loved hearing me talk about anything at all, even different types of ramen.’’

‘’Well Naruto, isn’t that the best quality a girl could have?’’ Iruka could not help but chime from his silence. He smiled lovingly at his nephew for the slight jest.

‘’Ha! Ha! Not funny, Iruka. I know I talk a lot. I like talking. Who doesn’t enjoy a good conversation? I only found out she plays an instrument, after she explained that she had a curfew – in a text! The only time she took a real interest and asked questions was when we discussed kendo.’’

Again, a topic he loved. Hinata _sounded_ perfect in theory. What was so wrong with their chemistry then?

They let Naruto relish in a few minutes of silence. He thought for a long time about his words.

‘’Hey sensei, you know the Hyuga’s right?’’

‘’Yes, Hiashi Hyuga owns a large portion of the real estate here. They and several other larger families own most of the city.’’

‘’Hinata may be from a rich family, but she really doesn’t act like a snob. She’s polite and very kind. But reserved. Maybe I just couldn’t break through to her and get her to come out, like me. I don’t know. She really doesn’t like Sasuke though. She wants me to win and that’s all we pretty much talked about. Very actively. That upset me. ’’

‘’Have you thought perhaps that you’re thinking too much into this, Naruto? Was she genuine, when she told you that she was cheering for you?’’

Naruto nodded to Iruka’s question. He knew it was the truth. She acted very genuinely all night and he believed in her honesty.

‘’Is it wrong of her to do so? Not everyone is going to feel like you do about these matters.’’

Naruto no longer knew how to approach the conversation. Hinata was not wrong. But she pushed. And pushed again, at the end of their date, in the form of a kiss. That made him smile to himself. She was bold, after all, under her innocent demeanor and he liked that. Should they try again? Was it worth it, to invest more time and effort? It would take a lot of work, he knew that for sure.

‘’I really don’t know if I should ask her out again…’’ he hesitated.

Kakashi’s statement, however, shed light on the dilemma, which helped to ease his decision. ‘’Does she make you want to know more about her? Do you want to discover all the little things about her that you didn’t today?’’

Naruto was silent for a moment again. He now knew what to say, with confidence.

‘’I had a nice time with Hinata. She’s very refreshing and fun to me but I just don’t feel like our personalities matched up. And it aggravates her family that she’s taken a liking to me. Her cousin practically hates me. I would rather hold off and maybe in a few years, when she’s less influenced by them, we’ll pick up again.’’

‘’Already thinking about future women, before his first.’’ Kakashi laughed and the tension melted away from Naruto’s shoulders. He would explain to Hinata in the morning that he was not looking for a relationship right now and their talk of his lifestyle and schedule made him understand that. Leading her on would be wrong when he could not give her his undivided attention. Wanting to change these details about Hinata meant that any bond they created would be strenuous and his thoughts made him feel guilty.

‘’Are you sure you want to make that decision so soon Naruto? I thought you still had another date?’’

That question, unbeknownst to Naruto, would unleash yet another torrent of words from his _annoyance_.

‘’Oh, another date? I have not heard of this juicy news.’’ Kakashi said and the awkward realization dawned upon Naruto in that moment.

Iruka had not told Kakashi about his decision. Or about Sasuke’s decision.

‘’Iruka… you didn’t… you didn’t tell _him_?’’ There was no being discrete. This family had no secrets. They all eventually surfaced. Usually within twenty four hours.

Iruka sheepishly shook his head. Naruto instantly ran away, leaving his tea behind. He would not be the one to tell Kakashi. He would not. He really did not want too. He had not even thought of Kakashi’s opinion, in all of this.

‘’Oh Iruka,’’ his partner grinned and that curve was maliciously devious and very intent on the truth.

‘’Kakashi… ‘’ Iruka sat up straight and prepared to curse his nephew. ‘’Damn you Naruto!!!’’

Silence. So very awkward. ‘’Well, you see my love, your student Sasuke asked Naruto out on a date last night.’’

‘’He _WHAT?!?_ ’’

Iruka began to laugh as he watched Kakashi stride dauntingly down the hallway to the reclusive bedroom at the back. Even though Kakashi burst into Naruto’s room, with dramatic vehemence, the man stood there, with almost nothing to say. How to begin.

‘’Well?’’ Naruto sighed from his bed. He was sprawled there, hidden beneath the comforter.

‘’Sasuke…and _you_?’’ Kakashi asked, as if unable to understand how that made any sense.

The blonde shuffled awkwardly. ‘’Yes.’’

‘’He asked you out? Really?’’ Kakashi sat on the floor, at the foot of the bed, leaning back on the wooden frame. The comforter slowly drifted over to him.

‘’Yea, last night, he came over. Told me he liked me and I decided to give him a chance.’’

It took a moment for Kakashi to process Naruto’s straightforward statement. Again, he had no idea where to begin. He felt proud of Sasuke, for being able to express his emotions to Naruto, but he had no clue how either of them could manage a relationship, let alone one of this nature. Not now. Yet, Naruto was willing to entertain this and try. He was not humoring Sasuke but indulging him, Kakashi figured. He must be. But this wasn’t just a date. This contained a larger issue. Many issues neatly wrapped in a ball.

‘’But he’s your rival, and you’re his?’’

‘’Are you doubting Sasuke’s feelings, Kakashi?’’

Kakashi glared at the comforter and snorted.

‘’No, I would never doubt either of you, which is why I don’t understand why you just didn’t say no.’’

There, he said it. That question. Iruka had asked this as well, after the confession, before he went to bed. That was the last inquiry of the night. It disturbed Naruto for quite some time; he tossed and turned. But he wanted to think about Hinata then, not Sasuke. He was supposed to be the afterthought and yet always in the forefront of his mind. Naruto only fell asleep after accepting that he was _sorta_ interested in his best friend but as what he was still not sure...

‘’Sensei… you see, I really liked Hinata. I met her over a year ago, but her cousin kept us apart. Then, we finally had the opportunity to date and someone else asked me out as well. I didn’t know how to feel, honestly. And it really didn’t matter to me that it was Sasuke. I did not want to hurt anyone, especially not him. Iruka told me that when I am with someone, I should feel like they understand me… and unfortunately, Hinata just didn’t. No one does. I guess you don’t either. That’s okay. I realized that Sasuke does really understand me. And he thinks like me. He respects me. I respect him. I think that all relationships, or even friendships, should have trust and respect. So why not try and talk to him properly and see?’’

Kakashi sat there, mesmerized by the honesty and genuine feeling that his nephew was trying to desperately to convey. His partner was correct to instill these great values into the caring heart of this boy. They would bring him far in life. Kakashi smiled reassuringly; Naruto always amazed him.

‘’Sure, I understand you now. Talk before you really decide on anything. But be careful Naruto, your heart is on the line now as well, not just your reputation. One will inevitably be more important than the other.’’

It became clear to him then, that perhaps he did _like_ Sasuke. Or at least, the idea of their friendship and mutual esteem filled him with warmth. Naruto was not afraid of losing his relationship with Sasuke, if, in the end, their dating did not work out. They were the type of friends that would grow old together, he knew it.

‘’Don’t worry so much Kakashi.’’ Naruto flashed him an upbeat smile.

Naruto was fearless sometimes. Kakashi saw it then. His confidence. His humble embarrassment. His desire. Always when he needed it the most.

‘’And do you think you could drive me in early tomorrow, so I can talk to Sasuke?’’

His question earned an immediate groan. That was too early for him. No one should have to be up at 5:30 in the morning. He only had morning lessons with the boys on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Not Tuesday.

‘’Can’t you just text him? Isn’t that why everyone has a cellphone?’’

Naruto begged and pleaded. ‘’Please Kakashi, texting is too weird right now. I don’t want him to know, you know. I just want to be there and talk to him in person about all of this.’’

He did not wait for the retort he expected and continued his lament. ‘’Please, please. It will be less awkward that way. Can you help me, just this once?’’

Naruto was not expecting his savior to be Iruka. The man stood in the doorframe, smiling at both occupants in the room. ‘’I have an early meeting at 6:30, have to be in at six for prep work, so I’ll drop you off.’’

‘’Thank you so much Iruka. Lazy Kakashi here wouldn’t sacrifice some sleep for me.’’

‘’You think I want to be there while you and Sasuke have your little conversation.’’ Kakashi laughed as he watched Naruto turn a bright crimson. He was disappointed to hear about losing his bedmate, though. ‘’Really? Oh Iruka, 5 is just too early.’’

‘’I promise I won’t disrupt your precious sleep.’’

Kakashi grumbled as he strode back over to his partner, having been freed of any driving responsibilities. He would be sure to thank Iruka for always being incredibly thoughtful.

‘’Goodnight Naruto,’’ Both men said in unison.

Naruto sighed in relief, as he made himself comfortable in his bed. It was still early, but he felt utterly exhausted mentally. Too many thoughts and emotions made him weary. He almost instantly fell asleep, free of any lingering doubts. They would talk first and then resolve the rest after.

_Tomorrow…_

At 2 in the morning, Naruto woke up, buried beneath his comforter. But it was too hot. He had fallen asleep completely dressed. Each piece fell to the ground, as he strode to the bathroom, adjacent to his room, disrobing with every step. He drank water, set his alarm, and dove beneath the covers again, for sleep to consume him for several more hours.

By the time his alarm rang, Naruto felt incredibly pleased with his long slumber. He woke up smiling and refreshed, even that early. The shower was warm and lulling; he felt at ease and relaxed. Iruka made them breakfast and thus far, everything was perfect. His uncle even had a lunch ready for him.

‘’Iruka, I don’t know what I would do without you.’’

‘’That’s how I know you love me. Kakashi says the exact same thing.’’

Only as he sat in the car, did Naruto feel slightly restless. It began with a fidget; he kept toying with the straps on his duffle bag. Then, his foot began to tap against the floor mats. Finally, he gnawed on his lip, just as they arrived.

‘’Good luck,’’ Iruka said, and added, for reassurance, ‘’Remember, it’s just one date. Then maybe you’ll figure out how you guys really feel about this.’’

Naruto waved as his uncle drove away from the school, before he entered by the gymnasium. The lights in the dojo were on; he expected this. He let the doors slam loudly, alerting Sasuke of his presence. They only met, however, in the locker rooms.

‘’Good morning’’ Naruto instinctively said, as he headed to his locker.

‘’Good morning, Naruto.’’ The Uchiha replied nonchalantly, which he followed with a casual remark, ‘’I’m surprised you’re here today,’’

Sasuke’s stare, a side glance, hesitant, but defensive, was definitely present. Naruto could feel that gaze on his back. He smiled to himself. No sense in beating around the bush and playing around. He turned that grin to his best friend, as he tried not to appear utterly nervous.

‘’Sasuke, I…I would like to go on a date with you.’’

Sasuke continued to stare. The only difference was that his heart was now beating wildly in his chest. Were his ears deceiving him? Did Naruto just…

‘’Naruto, you…’’ He tried, but no other words came out.

It took almost a minute, but Sasuke began to smile, because Naruto started to chuckle. ‘’Yes,’’ the blonde said. ‘’There’s a lot more to this than just me saying yes, but we can talk about those things later. I don’t want you to feel uneasy with me anymore. Go back to being the old you, for me.’’

Sasuke nodded. ‘’Thank you, Naruto. I’m glad that you asked.’’

Naruto almost deflated onto the bench, as he sighed heavily in relief. ‘’Now I know how you must have felt. I was so nervous.’’

The remark earned him a snort and laughter. He enjoyed hearing Sasuke at ease again. The eagerness that pumped in his chest dissipated; he felt comfortable in the other’s presence.

‘’Naruto, why would I have ever said no to you?’’ Sasuke sat down beside him.

The blonde boy sulked instantly. He crossed his arms over his chest and stuck out his tongue jokingly. ‘’Fine, I just didn’t want to sound dumb, or have this be really awkward.’’

‘’Sorry about that…’’ Sasuke trailed off. He understood that tense rigor that invaded your body and stilled your senses. How overpowering it felt to be anxious, unnerved, and completely open.

‘’Don’t be, it’s not awkward anymore, and it wouldn’t be much of a date if it was, right?’’

‘’Did you have something in mind?’’

Naruto nodded. ‘’Are you free tonight? I have the place to myself. Both of them are teaching.’’

‘’Yea, sure.’’

Sasuke finally felt relieved. He stared at Naruto without reluctance now. He could look at him again and smile. That wave of release eased all of his pent up nerves. His self-doubt was disappearing to Naruto’s beaming confidence.

‘’So I’ll make dinner.’’

‘’Can I bring dessert?’’

Naruto was pleasantly surprised by the question. ‘’Sure, anything delicious.’’

‘’Good. So suit up and come practice.’’ Sasuke stood up and held his hand out to Naruto. A part of him wanted the touch, but he wanted Naruto to trust him anew.

‘’Sure, if you’re so eager to lose again.’’ Naruto said, as he granted Sasuke the gesture and took his hand. It felt soft against his and he noticed that Sasuke’s thumb gently caressed his middle knuckle, as the touch ended. He was already blushing from the offer; his cheeks burned a darker red now.

It was a small victory for Sasuke, despite Naruto’s instigating boasts. They agreed to go after school and their practice that morning was invigorating. There was no hesitance. They saw each other again as rivals. Like a switch. On the floor, at the center of the ring, as both of them blink for the last time before first striking, they become absolutely indifferent to one another.  
________________________________________________________________

After practice, they parted for the showers and began their morning routines. The stalls were all empty but they were both silent. Naruto sang a popular tune, as he washed, and Sasuke laughed. He eventually began to sing the lyrics. They were in opposite classes today and would only meet again later in gym class that afternoon.

The bell rang and surprisingly, Naruto was ready before Sasuke. Usually he would toss a casual remark and leave but now he felt compelled to wait.

‘’Hurry up, Sasuke, or we’ll both be late.’’ He half expected a rhetorical comment to drop from Sasuke’s mouth but he was silent.

Smiling. Naruto immediately noticed that that very expression had never left Sasuke’s face since their practice ended.

‘’I’ll cover for you’’ came the reply and Sasuke met him at the door.

They left the gym together and headed to class. The halls were strewn with their classmates. The wave of good morning’s greeting them began. Naruto’s cheery demeanor was instantly present with everyone.

Sasuke had no idea that his love for Naruto’s smile would make him grin even more. This was going to be a good day.

‘’I’ll see you in gym!’’ Naruto said as he winked at his best friend and departed with another group of teenagers.

Sasuke nodded and disappeared in the opposite direction. He sauntered to his class and took his usual seat in biology.

‘’Good morning Sasuke-kun,’’ Sakura greeted him, from two seats behind.

He nodded back to her, ‘’Good morning’’

His smile was natural today, she instantly noticed about Sasuke, as he entered the classroom, unaware of her alert eyes. She knew his behavior very well.

‘’It must be,’’ she laughed but the moment was interrupted by his biology partner, Karin, dropping unceremoniously into her seat.

‘’Stop flirting with my partner,’’ she angrily snapped at Sakura and snidely scowled at her for good measure.

‘’Oh Sasuke, I love it when you come in with wet hair in the morning.’’ Karin turned her attention to Sasuke and instantly, his good humor vanished. He remembered now, even before she said it. Just the sight of her reminded him of...

‘’Remember, we have our project meeting tonight, at your place.’’ Karin sighed happily at the thought.

‘’Well, about that…’’

Sakura began to snicker.

‘’I have an important meeting with my brother and he’s only free tonight, before he flies out again on business.’’ The lie rolled off Sasuke’s tongue like it was the truth. Itachi had left last night. And would not be home until Saturday morning.

Karin began to pout. There was no other way to describe the sour expression that furrowed into her face. She turned away from Sasuke and very pointedly muttered, ‘’Tomorrow morning, 6am, and you better fucking bring me the best coffee and breakfast in town.’’

Internally, he felt relieved. Sasuke did not have to practice every other morning until next week for the upcoming preliminaries of the national tournament in March. He could miss one morning workout, to gain one hopeful night. Problem solved.

There was no denying that he was excited about Naruto’s straightforward demeanor. It helped them both forget their inner qualms and attempt to drive forward.

Karin left him alone until the teams were given time to prepare for their assignment. Her attitude was icy but before leaving, she said with a smile, ‘’And if I see you playing online tonight, Sasuke Uchiha, I will kill you.’’ Her words echoed in his ears, as she disappeared down the hallway after the bell.

At lunch, Sasuke ventured into the city and passed by several bakeries. He lacked a sweet tooth and could easily restrain himself from the saccharine treats but Naruto secretly loved to indulge in pieces of cake topped with ice cream. Or his mother’s brownies; Naruto loved those. But Sasuke knew exactly what to purchase, as he stood staring into the freezer at the grocery store. He smiled. The gesture, he knew, would be meaningful to his date.

Sasuke realized that the playful curve on his lips kept reappearing. Every time he thought of Naruto.

The coin to his happiness, however, had two sides. During the car ride back to school, negative thoughts percolated in the back of his mind. It seemed as though they always surfaced during bouts of self-doubt.

_What if the date is a bust? What if there is no chemistry between us? What if Naruto does not understand me? Will we be able to go back after all of this? If it doesn’t work…_

But those questions, Sasuke knew, had been dwelling on his conscious for several weeks now. And so, he took the first step in order to resolve them. The next one would be tonight.

_How should I act? Flirt? How do I be flirty? I should be clever instead. And straightforward like him. I need resolve and confidence. Communication. Honesty. Or else, how will I reassure him?_

In English class, Sasuke wrote this note alongside his actual coursework. His thoughts were distracted from poetry.

_I know that we will talk about this – obviously you are going to ask me how I feel… Naruto… even as your best friend, I never get to tell you how proud I am of you. How amazing you are. How much you impress me. I’m your rival… and I will always strive to beat you, but I like you because I feel like you complete me as well. We are opposites but the same. I lack your enthusiasm and lighthearted nature. You lack my calm, patience, and insight. But we both have such instincts. You make me want to fight you and win. And now… you make me want to kiss you and get lost in something of our own making._

He tore the page and pocketed it. Later, he knew that it would serve him well, not _if_ his mouth failed him, but _when_. He would watch blue eyes read over every word and perhaps a blush would darken Naruto’s cheeks and their faces would then match almost perfectly. Reading it out loud seemed almost impossible. These words felt sacred now written. Nonetheless, he read it over and over, memorizing each word and hoped Naruto would someday do the same.

They were on his lips every second of gym class, as he watched Naruto and Kiba play volleyball against Shino and Lee. The winners would face off against Sasuke and Suigetsu. Naruto jumped to receive the pass and spiked it, scoring a point for his team. The other boys cheered. Lee served a perfect ball and balanced the score for the opposition. Kiba and Naruto were unstoppable though and claimed victory shortly after the tying point.

Their class would end with the last matchup and Naruto began to jeer Sasuke with feisty taunts.

‘’Hey Sasuke, try not to lose to us, we’re on fire!’’

Their peers snickered and even Sasuke chortled, entertained by his lively attitude. Naruto was dribbling the ball and dancing to his own rhythm.

‘’You’re so lame Naruto, just serve the ball would you and lose to us already.’’ Suigetsu complained and he was met by an unexpectedly calm stare from his blonde opponent.

‘’Fine then.’’ Naruto nodded and Kiba did as well. They were focused now.

The teacher told them to commence the volleyball match and within a minute, Naruto scored the first point. Sasuke glared at Suigetsu, who missed the rebound. He took every match against his rival seriously.

‘’My serve.’’ The Uchiha called for the ball and swiftly served to his opponents.

They struck back with vigor but did not stand a chance against Sasuke’s spike. The score was even. The other eliminated players were hollering loudly. Then, the fire alarm sounded and an even louder chorus of groans ensued. The intercom rang out with instructions for the students to follow during the fire drill. Their match would never be concluded.

‘’Damn,’’ Kiba cursed in frustration and Naruto patted him on the back, ‘’Next time buddy, next time.’’

The students filled outside and listened less than attentively to their teachers discuss safety tips and analyze their overall performance, before dismissing the classrooms. The boys headed back inside to change from their gym uniforms.

The end of the day arrived early and as Sasuke finished changing, he looked around the dressing room for Naruto but did not see the familiar blonde. He hesitated leaving and took out his cellphone, in order to leave a message and to his surprise, there was a text waiting for him from Naruto.

**Side exit in five minutes, meet me there.**

He instantly felt relieved to see Naruto’s discretion and punctuality. It was reassuring.

The wait, however, was nerve wracking. Sasuke seemed casual, almost stoic, as he waited, leaned against the wall nearest the designated exit. But he breathed unevenly. His fingers twitched nervously around the strap of his backpack. Several classmates passed by, all equally excited to leave early. He prayed for a swift departure; he did not want to see Karin. His car was waiting for them a few blocks away for their privacy.

Naruto arrived a moment later; he was lightly jogging, his backpack swinging around comically on his back.

‘’Hey Sasuke. So did you want to come to my place now and help me get dinner ready?’’

Sasuke nodded, ‘’Yea, sure. I called my driver, so we have a ride.’’

Naruto was amused; he laughed and shook his head. ‘’Go figure, already got things planned and ready.’’

They walked out together and in that moment, as Naruto seemed so carefree and relaxed, Sasuke realized that this was actually happening.

Their date had begun.

**-=TBC=-**

Next chapter is going to be awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. The First Act

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to post this on the 5th but I fell asleep watching the Video Game Awards. It was also our anniversary yesterday and so this chapter is dedicated to my fiancé, who read every single word of it. And it was international ninja day too! I’m late but here’s my dedication for that. 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** Nothing

**-=Chapter 4 – The First Act=-**  
  


Wednesday afternoon. The forecast called for light showers in the early evening but the sun was still bright in the sky. Not a single cloud. Naruto looked from the azure depths above to Sasuke beside him and even though the Uchiha was speaking, he had not heard a single word of it. He was too focused on the male beside him, almost scrutinizing him even.

 _My best friend likes me._ _When did it happen? How did he realize…_

Sasuke Uchiha.

There he was, the boy with the endless eyes, Naruto had once said. They often used to hold staring matches to see who would first break concentration. Now, as he looked over to his friend, he was reminded of those times he spent analyzing every feature on that pale face.

His cocky smirk. The way his nostrils flare when he shows his teeth. The tiny scar on his left cheek, near the edge of his eye.

Yet again, Naruto finds himself lured in by those eyes that seemed soulless, like infinite pits of darkness…

When those eyes caught his gaze though, they did not look empty. The night color of his irises were glowing a reddish hue. He had seen that before…

‘’Hey genius, are you there? Two minutes in and you’re already-‘’

‘’Sorry, I just… I looked at you and I suddenly remembered our old staring matches…and yea, heh.’’

‘’I forgot how weird you are sometimes…’’ Sasuke said, shaking his head. He always dismissed Naruto’s strange quirks.

‘’So what did you ask then?’’ Naruto bounced back immediately, followed by a slightly nervous laugh, as if to transition their conversation.

‘’It wasn’t a question. I said that I wouldn’t be at practice tomorrow morning because I have to do my team project with Karin.’’

‘’Ahhhh, I see. No problem. I may just sleep in then. I am doing my assignment with Shino Thursday night, after school. He’s busy this week, so hopefully we won’t be too long that night, finishing this damn thing.’’

Both teenagers lived through hectic schedules now that their tournament qualifications loomed weeks away. Typically, after school, every Tuesdays and Thursdays they were required to stay and teach the underclassmen their stances and poses, but for this week and the next, they were relieved of their duties for the competition. Kakashi taught in their place, allowing them time to study as well, before subjecting them to an intense week of training day and night. Their morning practices were optional all week but both of them preferred to keep routine. They both dreaded the week to come though, even before their story began.

‘’At least, as of Friday 3pm, no more homework, only three days of school, mornings and nights of intense days of Kakashi training, then a weekend of competition.’’

‘’Yea, well you make it sound so nice and neat Sasuke. Kakashi is going to run us ragged again. I keep trying not to think about the tournament.’’

‘’I know, but once it’s over, we’ll have lots of time before the real deal.’’

‘’How about tonight we don’t mention it.’’ Naruto suggested, ‘’The idea of dating, to me, is a nice distraction from the hype of our competition.’’ Although Sasuke agreed, he did not know that Naruto was reminded of his prior date with Hinata and how uncomfortable he became. That was his secret.

Once the image of Hinata resurfaced in his thoughts, Naruto felt uneasy. She had not been present in class that morning and it disturbed him greatly. Guilt. Naruto instantly sought out Sakura but she had not heard of any reason for the absence. After their second period, he texted his female classmate. No response. This thought lingered in his mind but it was not something that he wanted to discuss with Sasuke. His conversation with Hinata would have to wait.

They arrived at the black vehicle but instead of moving in first, Sasuke held open the door and ushered for Naruto to do so. His gesture earned a very amused laugh from Naruto.

‘’Such a gentleman.’’

Naruto’s laughter erupted even louder as Sasuke rolled his eyes and groaned.

The moment ended with smiles, nonetheless. This reassured both friends that they felt comfortable in one another’s presence.

There was a box on the seat in front of them, which made Naruto ridiculously curious, but Sasuke warned him not to ruin the surprise. The blonde felt flattered and stopped his prying, until they arrived at the large building complex and walked inside. Hundreds of times before Sasuke had offered Naruto rides home after school and hung out him with casually, but even though this moment appeared normal to those around them, in the elevator, as they remained silent, Naruto could not stop fumbling with his keys.

‘’Are you okay, Naruto?’’ Sasuke asked, as he stood beside Naruto in the hallway before the front door. They had been quiet for a while now.

‘’Yes!’’ Naruto said rather quickly, as he finally unlocked the door and let them inside. He even tried to fake a nervous smile to Sasuke but his friend merely frowned. All of his panic came out in a long shaky sigh. ‘’Sorry Sasuke, I’m just super nervous right now. We got here and my mind just started racing; my heart is beating wildly in my chest. I feel like I want to ask you a million things but then I can’t find any words when I go to talk. It just hit me, you know…’’

Sasuke listened almost painfully to every word that Naruto spoke. He stood there nervously expecting Naruto to call the whole thing off; there he was, zoning out, living in his own head, fidgeting – all ominous signs to the young Uchiha. The dread began early in his mind as well, creeping up into his thoughts the second Naruto smiled at him. He wanted to love that smile but sometimes it was deceiving. Things between them could go horribly wrong. Was it too much, too soon?

‘’You probably have one question that is driving you crazy, right – start there.’’

‘’Well… I really want to know what made you want to cross the line of friendship between us and come tell me how you really feel.’’

That was very straight to the point. A direct hit. Sasuke felt his chest clench unbearably tight and his breathing almost stopped altogether. He knew that the first answer would be the hardest. It took him a moment to speak, carefully choosing his words. They sounded so faint, like a whisper that barely escaped his lips, ‘’Your smile.’’

Naruto was not expecting such a simple answer. He wanted to smile just then and laugh uneasily like always, but hesitated. Sasuke saw that trepidation and tried to reassure his best friend.

‘’Naruto, I can’t exactly explain this. I wrote you a note…and even that I don’t think I’m quite ready to read to you. But I do want you to know that I like the way you smile at me. It’s so confident and challenging at the same time. I know that you’re always grinning, because you’re a genuinely happy person, and as your rival, I see that more than others. I like it. You may never agree with me and yet you always smile at me regardless of what’s being said.’’

As soon as their morning practice had ended, Sasuke began to mentally prepare himself for the conversation they were now destined to have. He understood that only his words could leave the desired impact. Naruto needed to hear him speak honestly. Often, his best friend chided him for not expressing himself enough and retreating within. Now, there was no turning back. He wanted to tell Naruto everything.

There was silence for another moment, then a jingling sound resonated from Naruto’s hand and he realized that he was fidgeting with his keys again. It was hard not to feel flattered by the justification and look at Sasuke objectively. This was his goal – to understand. ‘’I wasn’t expecting that kind of answer, honestly.’’ He stopped there, before deciding on his next words, ‘’But that’s how _you_ see it though. Maybe I smile like that to everyone.’’

Sasuke frowned at Naruto’s comment, ‘’You only smile genuinely to those you love or respect and share that bond with you. Like Kakashi. Your family. Your closest friends. Like Sakura. Your smile is loving. You do accept everyone for who they are. People feel appreciated by you. You smile to them like it was second nature. I feel honored to be respected by you as your best friend and rival, and so, your smile for me is exactly… like the one you show Sakura. Like the one I showed her and now only show you. I just want you to see that love and respect should coexist in any relationship. I respect you likewise, so much, that to me…’’ He felt his heart begin to race and his cheeks darken profusely. ‘’You’re perfect.’’

This time Naruto remained silent in the wake of those words. He was humbled by his best friend, who was genuine and true to his own feelings. Even under pressure, Sasuke always knew what to say. His words were reassuring and Naruto felt like he understood Sasuke better. The wisdom and values he spoke of were incredibly meaningful and harmonious with his own. Now, it was Naruto who needed to figure out what his feelings truly were.

‘’Thank you, Sasuke. You’re a really amazing person.’’

They were both blushing, promptly avoiding each other’s gazes, as they awkwardly stood in the kitchen’s entrance. That was, by far, the hardest thing Sasuke had ever done. His mind was clear; felt happy. And he knew that the rest of Naruto’s questions would become easier to answer now that he had confidence.

‘’Oh yea, I have ice cream that needs to go in the freezer.’’ Sasuke remembered, as he held up the bag in his hand. He was so utterly focused on Naruto that he forgot the dead weight hanging there, probably somewhat melted by now.

‘’I guess I know what dessert is,’’ The blonde laughed; he stepped into the kitchen and headed for the refrigerator, ‘’Care to help me cut veggies for the ramen, while that actually becomes ice cream again.’’

Naruto Uzumaki was far from being proficient in the kitchen. He needed to be supervised or left instructions and it amused Sasuke to no end that there was a detailed ramen recipe. Iruka had prepared the basics of the meal the night before; Naruto was indulging in leftovers that he knew were in the fridge. They just needed a few more ingredients to add flavor to yesterday’s batch. Everything was laid out on the counter; they each had a cutting board and several pieces to dice.

‘’So I figured that tonight would be more like a way for us to talk about everything. I was hoping that might help me get my own thoughts together and which is why I wanted us to just hang out, like before. I know that my uncle and sensei are gay but are you really sure, or just curious?’’

Sasuke was surprised at how frank Naruto sounded; no doubt his relatives knew of their situation now and had helped him figure out his next steps.

‘’Are you asking if I’m only ever going to date men from now on? Or if I’m solely attracted to you, as a guy?’’

‘’I don’t know,’’ Naruto tried not to just bust out laughing – it already seemed strange to be discussing these things so earnestly. ‘’Well, am I the only person you’re attracted to?’’

Sasuke set the ingredients aside and put his knife in the sink. ‘’Yes, you are. And Naruto, I believe that people shouldn’t let gender interfere with how they may feel about love. If it happens that I fall in love with a woman, one day, then so be it. I live in the now and determine things when they come at me.’’

Naruto found himself nodding the entire time. Those were his thoughts exactly. The night before, lying in bed, he became determined to always live life by those principles. Only then did Naruto truly understand how serious his best friend was.

‘’I completely agree with you, Sasuke.’’

After a minute, the soup was reheating and Naruto set the table. ‘’Make sure it doesn’t boil over, keep stirring. Ramen should always be perfect. And we should have tea.’’ He added another pot to the stove.

‘’So, ask me another question.’’ Sasuke proposed, as his host prepared their meal.

‘’Okay. I have lots. When did you first start liking me. Actually, _you know_ , having a crush and acknowledging it.’’

Sasuke took his time piecing together the various triggers that lead him to this decision. It was not a straightforward answer but a series of unfurling events that had occurred.

‘’About a month before I broke up with Sakura, she got sunstroke in gym class and you rushed her to the nurse. Well, you were all she could talk about and it kinda made me jealous. I knew how much you liked her. I felt like maybe she had a better connection with you and that it was unfair of me to keep her, when I didn’t feel like I loved her anymore. So I thought about it. I figured that you would be her knight in shining armor, after it happened – instead, you came to me and asked me how I was. How I felt. No one really did. You did though. Every day in practice for a week. I got mad at you and when you told me that “you just wanted to make sure you’re _really_ alright” I was extremely happy to have a great friend like you. Then suddenly you were showing up at my place and eating my mom’s brownies while we played games all night.’’

‘’What are friends for.’’ Naruto chimed in happily.

‘’That’s something I never want to lose Naruto. Above all else, you’re my closest friend. I appreciated everything you did for me, even if I didn’t need it. A part of me felt like I was trying to give you Sakura, but that was wrong of me. I fucked that up. So I really don’t want to mess this up. I knew that I liked you because, well – Itachi is, at least, was gay. My father prohibited him – he fell in love with his best friend and it all fell apart. So a lot of my understanding of my feelings comes from Itachi conveying his experiences with me. So I knew that I liked you the night you came over after dinner, and you told me that my mom was amazing and you missed yours. Since you were over at least once a week, my mom started asking me what meals you liked – she did that for Sakura too. She really likes you and I know it makes you happy too – I just want to make you happy like that all the time.’’

During the conversation, Naruto had begun to set the table and as he poured their tea, the last words to escape the Uchiha’s almost caused him to spill the entire saucer with the kettle. He stopped pouring, set it aside, and sat at the table, almost dumbstruck from the declaration still echoing in his head. It hit him hard – the power in Sasuke’s voice sent a chill up his spine. Thoughts of his parents swelled up and their nostalgia mixed with his memories of that night. Naruto remembered it as well; it was the first time he genuinely missed his mother, enough to shed a few tears in that moment, with his best friend.

‘’Wow,’’ He simply said and looked to Sasuke, not at all embarrassed by the blush across the bridge of his nose, as the other strolled over and sat across from him.

There was a lot for him to grasp, as the monologue settled on his soul and weighed down his thoughts. Sakura. Hinata. Now Sasuke. Naruto realized that he had many things left unresolved. Did he really want a relationship and a significant other? The mention of Sakura unsettled his heart. Did he still love her? Did she love him, or would she ever? Could he actually love Sasuke? Would Sasuke really make him happy?

‘’I really don’t know what to say to that…I guess it’s not really fair, I ask you all these things then I can’t even think of what I should say.’’

‘’It’s okay, don’t worry about it Naruto. It was liberating to say for me but I’m sure that it confuses a lot of things for you.’’

With nothing to respond with, Naruto tried yet another inquiry – one that would require a careful but honest approach and thus far, Sasuke had impressed him with his patient and thoughtful side.

‘’How would we even be together though? It’s not like we can be public about this…or us. And your father, you said that Itachi did exactly what you’re doing right now…’’

These were the hard questions they would have to face together, if they chose that path. So he asked them.

‘’I won’t lie Naruto, it will be difficult for us. And yes, it amuses me to think that I am almost exactly like my brother. But he never regretted any of it and neither will I. We’re at the prime of our competitive careers now. Great things are expected of us. And we’re rivals. These are all things I’ve considered thoroughly and I can still sit here and tell you that I’m willing to keep us a secret from my entire family and still fight you in the championship ring without flinching.’’

That was something new for Naruto to consider – if they became a couple, would he then possess Sasuke’s resolve and fight his lover? How can you love and fight the same person?

‘’You could still take on this challenge? You still want to beat me and date me too?’’

It sounded silly – competing against your rival, whom you also dated – none of it seemed possible when they would require the utmost secrecy as well. Until when? Would they even last, as a couple, until the tournament? So many people would shun them. Publically. Would they lose out on scholarships and endorsements? What about their friends and family? It seemed almost impossible to predict how certain individuals would react.

‘’Yes. I respect you enough not to let my emotions confuse how I feel about kendo. So even if we don’t get anywhere with this, in a few months’ time, I will still be able to face you in the finals just like we promised last year.’’

The former world champion was none other than Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke’s elder brother. Before him, Kakashi Hatake was champion, whom Jiraiya Uzumaki trained to precede him after holding the title for ten consecutive years. The depth of their families’ roots in this sport was extensive. Fugaku Uchiha was keener on marital arts than kendo and so both of his children were properly trained to achieve their maximum potential. Naruto’s education came from his studies abroad with his grandfather, who brought him, every summer, to elite temples and dojos across the world, where they would study diverse fighting techniques.

‘’I don’t want to break that promise either. You and me in the finals.’’ Naruto raised his cup in accordance with his statement and they toasted to the bond of their friendship and rivalry – the championship final. This would never be broken until they fought in the ring.

‘’How about I leave you alone with the questions then and we eat dinner before the broth gets cold.’’

‘’Cheers to that too.’’ Sasuke jeered and they were able to enjoy the meal peacefully.

Half way through his bowl, Naruto was already up and reaching for a second helping. ‘’More for you?’’ he asked from the stove and Sasuke quickly finished the contents of his bowl, only to burp ‘’Yes, please.’’

It contented Naruto that Sasuke agreed to more – he had not even realized this until he sat in his chair, pleasantly full, staring across at Sasuke who had not finished.

‘’That was fantastic, thanks for dinner.’’ Sasuke’s compliment added to Naruto’s elated feeling and the blonde tried to wave it off bashfully.

‘’Well, before dessert, I do kinda have one last thing to ask,’’ Naruto began, as he cleared the table and brought the dishes to the sink.

‘’Go for it,’’ Sasuke replied; he took in a deep breath to help keep himself calm and collected. Every question, earlier, caused a heavy thud in his chest or butterflies in his stomach because each one could potentially determine the outcome of his decision.

‘’What do you want from a relationship… I mean, my only relationship was short lived in middle school – we broke up when I left to train that summer. But you and Sakura had a system – you could be open in public, hold hands, hug, and not a single person would care…’’

‘’I want someone to hold again – someone to talk to that isn’t related to me – I want a companion that will play video games with me and accept that I have a hectic schedule and lifestyle. I want someone to work with me – and I know that you’re the person I want to try with. You already have all of the above qualifications. So to me, you will always be my brother, my best friend, my rival, and now, I want a partner to stand beside me. I can’t really tell you about all the other…stuff…because I don’t know either. That’s something you learn together, as a couple. We couldn’t be open all the time, I know, but I won’t lie either – I like the idea of a secret.’’

From all these questions, the information he requested was all genuinely delivered, leaving Naruto to decipher if his own feelings could mingle harmoniously with Sasuke’s. This was his decision now.

‘’You gonna start sending me dirty texts then in private?’’ Naruto jested – it was his only resort; his laughter helped ease their tension and pulled away from the intensity of their conversation.

‘’…maybe.’’ Sasuke replied, almost inaudibly and instantly changed the subject; Naruto had a knack apparently for bringing up awkward subjects. ‘’How about some ice cream then.’’

Sasuke retrieved the container from the freezer and Naruto procured cones. The ice cream was left wrapped in its brown cardboard box on the counter and Sasuke gestured for Naruto to reveal the flavor inside. His blue eyes instantly lit up and he grinned sheepishly.

‘’Thanks Sasuke, you got my favorite!’’ He excitedly made a ridiculous cone for himself and Sasuke insisted on making himself a moderately sized one.

It surprised him when Naruto said, ‘’Let’s go watch the sunset from my balcony,’’ between mouthfuls of ice cream and Sasuke was glad that Naruto was not paying enough attention to notice that his cheeks were darkening. ‘’Sure.’’

Sasuke had visited the balcony before; the same two lounge chairs were set up to overlook some of the city. It was warm under the setting sun. They stood there for several moments, simply enjoying their dessert in silence.    

Naruto distracted himself with the passerby’s down below – for now, his thoughts could wait, or he would internally drown in them. He was thankful for Sasuke, who had taken a seat and stretched out comfortably.

‘’Do you remember the first time we ever actually hung out together, outside of class? After that fight, we were both at the beach birthday party for Shikamaru and I remember Jiraiya dropped you off. But your dad was late to pick you up. My mom, Itachi, and I waited with you. We were dueling with sticks when Itachi wanted ice cream from the vendor. So we had ice cream cones in the park just as Minato and Jiraiya arrived for you.’’

‘’I know,’’ Naruto smiled fondly as he savored the last bite of his cone. ‘’I remember that day because that was the day I decided mango ice cream was my favorite. ‘’

Naruto joined him and relaxed in the opposite chair, as they reminisced. The light breeze was refreshing; it slowly began to cool down the temperature. The sun, almost fully set, cast a last dying golden hue on the balcony. The soft light still on Naruto’s face made him beautiful. He looked incredibly handsome to Sasuke in that moment. The Uchiha wanted to reach out and touch his warm cheek. His revelation meant a lot to Sasuke, who was proud to remember so much about his best friend.

‘’You wrote my mom a thank you note the next day.’’

‘’Oh yea, I did. My mom told me too. That was when she was sick and couldn’t leave the house anymore. She said that your mom was a very nice person and deserved a nice note of appreciation.’’ It took him a moment but the memory came back to his mind, in a rush of gentle warmth that reminded him of his mother.

‘’Your mom sounded like a very wise woman.’’

‘’Thanks, Sasuke. I appreciate that.’’

‘’Can I get that on paper?’’ The Uchiha quipped instantly and they both began to laugh.

‘’Nice one,’’ Naruto retorted and puzzled Sasuke as he stood up and dashed off inside his bedroom. ‘’Be right back,’’ his date shouted from the adjoining piece.

Naruto sauntered back over to Sasuke, much to the other’s amusement, and gave him a small, folded piece of paper. Dark eyes read over the words, _you will always have my appreciation_ , with his name below and the quick sketch of a smiley face.

‘’Now you have one just like your mom’s,’’ Naruto said and earned another chuckle from his friend.

‘’Thanks.’’ Sasuke lightly blushed.

They both realized then that the sunset was over, as the unwelcomed darkness of the evening invaded the private balcony.

‘’So, movie time?’’

Sasuke nodded and rose to his feet. Naruto lead him inside again, through his bedroom and to the entertainment room. They decided on an action film rather quickly, Naruto had a massive collection of martial arts movies. When Naruto sat back down though, he did not turn off the lights or press play. He stared down at the remote, fidgeting with the rubber buttons.

‘’This is going to sound…well… instead of it being awkward and us hesitating…Sasuke,’’ Naruto trailed off as he laughed nervously. He had not looked up yet. He could not. Another one of these moments. Why were they so hard to articulate? He fixated his hands. This question was staining his cheeks too dark of a red to face Sasuke.

‘’Can we kiss?’’

Naruto declared, as he braced himself, almost in anticipation but mostly in fear, as his statement was left unanswered. Finally, his azure eyes peeped open and glanced up and across the couch.

Once he caught Naruto’s eyes, Sasuke never let him break contact. ‘’Why do you want to kiss me – how about we start with that.’’

‘’You would rather talk about kissing, than actually kiss? That’s a first.’’ Naruto avoided the question. Sasuke snorted at the dodgy comment and his scowl forced the blonde to frown, as he decided to think over the appropriate response.

‘’I just…I don’t know, okay. I figured that since we’re already best friends, we have these great talks, and on the balcony just now… being gay, to me, means kissing you and seeing if I like it. How else will I know if there’s chemistry? I have to see if I really am attracted to you in that way, so I can try and understand the rest.’’

‘’You have to feel it though. This is more than just desire even. I like you enough to want…well…us.’’

‘’That’s a lot right there for me to even think about again…the idea of us together like that. I mean, I know that you’re an attractive person, but you’re a guy and that still seems strange to me. I just feel like I’ll know more if we do now. So then I’ll know if I’m forcing it to be there for you or if it really is there…’’

Sasuke hesitated. He did not want their first kiss to be an experiment. His imagination drew something more natural and momentous. Perhaps spontaneous. This was forced and judged. It upset his own feelings but he recognized that if Naruto needed a kiss, in order to align his emotions behind it, then he could accept one free kiss. On one condition.

‘’Naruto, I will only do this if you promise me that the next time we kiss, if there even is a next time, that you won’t kiss me until you’re absolutely serious about me and us.’’

The blonde stared at Sasuke silently and the blush that appeared across the bridge of his best friend’s nose was adorable to him. He sounded absolutely stern but his cheeks betrayed his serious face. Naruto smiled at him and his audacious grin and quirked eyebrow could only mean one thing.

‘’Okay Sasuke, I can agree to your term.’’

This was important to him. He did not want to hurt his best friend and mislead him. The idea only struck him because sitting outside with Sasuke, in that wonderfully romantic moment made him want to reach out and…

Naruto slid over on the couch until their knees touched; he decided that there was no point in awkwardly shuffling around anymore. He asked for this. His lips curled into a confident smile – and Sasuke thought, in that moment _– there it is, that beautiful smile_ – but as he finished blinking, Naruto was right there, a breath away from him, ready to steal a kiss from his unsuspecting mouth. His eyes settled on the intense blue pair for a second before Naruto closed his and kissed him.

The sudden darkness and newfound lips were overwhelmingly warm, like a heatwave tingling all of his senses. Time almost stopped. Breathing felt impossible. Sasuke pressed into the embrace fully, leaving Naruto almost just as numb.

As they parted, Naruto realized that he was lingering in the moment, close enough to Sasuke to hear his uneven breathing. He instantly wanted to do it again. There was nothing different about it. Kissing a guy… his heart was pounding wildly in his ears. He bit his lip, knowing that his face was on fire but it was so hard to pull away and actually look at his best friend now that it was over.

‘’Your ears get really red when you’re embarrassed Naruto.’’

The words hung in the air for a moment before Naruto’s brain could even register them. He understood that Sasuke was trying to relieve the after tension of such a brazen idea, but he sounded so smug.

‘’Don’t poke fun at me.’’ He stuck his tongue out, which did not earn him a frown, as he expected; something he had never seen on Sasuke face before surfaced and he knew it had to be desire.

Naruto could only laugh as he tugged on his warm earlobes. It did not happen often for him to feel so shy and embarrassed suddenly. Sasuke had a habit of bringing that out in him. Not since his last year before high school had his whole face burned such a bright crimson red.

‘’I’ll tell you the first time I blushed like this if you tell me something embarrassing about yourself too.’’

Sasuke smirked and shook his head, ‘’Sure, why not.’’ He thought about it for a second. ‘’In second grade, I was supposed to be a samurai king, in our class play, and the minute I got up on stage, I forgot all my lines, panicked, and…’’ He trailed off, leaving Naruto in suspense. ‘’And threw up all over Ino Yamanaka, who was my queen.’’

‘’As if I’ve never heard of this…’’ Naruto burst out into peals of laughter. ‘’Ino, of all people! She practically worships you now! So priceless. Did someone film this? Please tell me someone has this for me to see.’’

‘’That’s not part of the deal.’’ Sasuke said irately. Just telling Naruto was enough. He did not need to see Sakura’s parents’ home video of his awful performance that day.

‘’But now I know it exists!’’ There was a maniacal undertone to Naruto’s evil chuckles, but Sasuke’s glare reminded him that it was now his turn to provide a story. ‘’Okay, okay.’’ The blonde sighed and began to sulk, before he even recited the memory. ‘’In 4th grade, I had a girlfriend named Shion. Well, I had finally built up the courage to ask her for a kiss, my first kiss, and she said yes, so we did – but then the teacher caught us, behind the trees in the school yard and we both got detention for it. So I turned really red and so did Shion, as we were paraded in front of our classmates.’’

‘’Detention for kissing.’’ Sasuke began to laugh, ‘’It has a nice ring to it.’’

‘’At least I don’t puke on people.’’ Naruto said smugly; his retort, however, was matched with equal wit from Sasuke, ‘’this from the person who threw up all over the track after chugging expired milk last year before gym class.’’

‘’Please don’t remind me of that. Gai sensei still does, every single time he sees me drinking milk in the cafeteria.’’

They sat in the silence, after their laughter expired, serenely realizing that there were still things they did not know about each other. ‘’Anything else I should know about you, Naruto? I guess I’m not your first kiss.’’

‘’Nope, third.’’ He smirked.

‘’Ha, funny. You’re my third too.’’

‘’Oh really?’’ Naruto’s eyebrow quirked high above the curious azure orbs. ‘’Who else, other than Sakura?’’

Sasuke sighed. There was no point hiding this shameful secret. ‘’Karin.’’

‘’Why am I not surprised?’’

‘’Your sarcasm is not appreciated Naruto.’’ Sasuke’s expression hardened. His story was not finished.

‘’Okay, okay. I get it. Not very good, was it?’’

‘’Not at all. Even before I was with Sakura, after our first graduation ceremony, Karin jumped into my arms and kissed me. No one saw, but I refused her all that summer before high school until she stopped asking.’’

‘’I’m sure Sakura must have been nicer to kiss than Karin, or even Shion.’’

There it was – another awkward moment – Sasuke could feel it. He did not want to talk about Sakura, not to Naruto, who adored her and pined for her over two years. But then again, his next question made Naruto uneasy as well.

‘’Who is your second?’’

‘’Hinata.’’ Naruto said.

It had only happened just yesterday. Another subject they had yet to discuss. Naruto himself had not yet even resolved the issue.

Although it seemed utterly natural to sit and share past stories with Sasuke, there was still some uncharted and uneasy territory between them.

Sasuke refused to let the information bother him but his mood darkened, nonetheless. He knew that regardless of the night before, this morning Naruto agreed to their date. Even if they had just kissed…

‘’Her father told her she had to leave early, so as she finished talking to him, she just sorta did what Karin did and we kissed.’’ Naruto tried to reassure him, and without even realizing it, reached for Sasuke’s hand to hold. ‘’I’m sorry that that bothers you and I get it. I’m not going to hurt anyone, okay? I promise.’’ He really did not want to ruin the end of their date with confessions and Sasuke appreciated the sentiment. ‘’I know.’’ He said, staring at Naruto’s hand. He laced their fingers together and he pressed the play button for their movie. ‘’I think we’ve said enough for one night…’’

Naruto smiled at the bold gesture and sat there, blushing again, enjoying the first martial art scenes, with their hands resting between them. This he could do. Holding hands was simple. It was his way of returning the favor for the kiss. Sasuke would sometimes brush his thumb along the top of Naruto’s hand and the tanned digit would return the caress, but Naruto always squeezed their fingers together hard when he got excited. Even so, once the ending credits began to roll, it felt strange to disconnect their meshing, as it left them cold. _It was nice_ …Naruto mused to himself.

As they walked down the hallway, towards the front door, they discussed martial arts, but both were really thinking of how the night would end. There was no way he could kiss Sasuke again, not now. He already knew that he would spend half the night just thinking about what happened. The question still remained; should they schedule another date – a proper one without the discussion of the intense implications of their actions.

‘’Hey Naruto, I was just thinking that…well, I don’t want to rush this. I want you to take all the time you need to think about it. Then, if you want to try again, we can go out on an actual date.’’

The blonde sighed in relief as he replied, ‘’Thanks. I know that I’m going to need some time, so I appreciate your patience yet again.’’ His smile was genuine and that helped provide comfort for Sasuke as well.

‘’So we’re good then?’’ The Uchiha asked. He was standing in the door way now, ready to depart.

‘’Of course. Thanks for a great night.’’ Again, Naruto tried not to blush, but could not help it. His sheepish look made Sasuke laugh. ‘’Good night Sasuke.’’

Naruto stepped up to Sasuke with open arms; only as he hugged him, did he say quietly, ‘’We haven’t hugged it out like this since our mothers made us do it that day, you know.’’

His response was an even tighter embrace; Sasuke wrapped his arms around his best friend and breathed in the moment deeply. Everything felt right for him – almost perfect.

‘’There are a lot of things I would still like to say to you, but for now, I’m just going to say good night Naruto.’’

As the embrace ended, Naruto watched Sasuke walk out through the apartment door. A part of him wanted to look out into the hall and see him again for one last second and it genuinely surprised him that as he did, Sasuke was looking back as well.

**-=TBC=-**

Now don’t you all feel really spoiled? I know I loved it. Review and show me love too.


	5. The delusion of comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is later than normal; I am getting married in May, so I’m usually always busy. And we’re making new cosplays on top of everything. I really need more free time.  
>   
>  **Disclaimer:** Nothing.  
>   
> 

**-=Chapter 5 – The delusion of comfort=-**  
  


                _So much for sleep_ , Sasuke groaned, as the alarm on his cellphone rang loudly in the darkness of his bedroom. On his dresser. Across the room. He knew it was five already. The night swept past him – how could he sleep after their first date? His mind raced for hours with every possible thought. So much had happened – he laid it all on the line for Naruto.

Sasuke repeated every question that Naruto asked and dissected each answer he gave. Yet, his most prominent thought was of their kiss. The brief feeling of his soft lips. The warm rushing sensation that overwhelmed his body. Sasuke would never forget it. It was exactly as he had imagined it would be, even if it was staged. He noticed that in the mirror, as he brushed his unruly hair, his exhausted face was still smiling.

The confession was liberating and revitalizing, like a breath of fresh air. He wanted to indulge in some of his confidence from the night before. Today, he would finally be able to focus on his lessons and sink back into the comfort of his own skin. The date was encouraging; he could only hope that Naruto felt the same way. Was it enough? Would their feelings mesh together after all? Would he be at least willing to try?

By five thirty, after his morning routine, Sasuke headed into the kitchen, where he found his parents drinking their morning coffee. He was surprised – this was unusual.

‘’Good morning sweetheart,’’ his mother said, ‘’what would you like for breakfast?’’

Sasuke shook his head, ‘’No thanks mom, I’m meeting with my lab partner Karin for breakfast at school, so we can finish our project.’’

His father’s voice, even so early in the morning, sounded ever gruff and irritated, ‘’You will miss practice, Sasuke.’’

‘’I did my practice with Naruto after school yesterday at the Hatake Dojo because Karin was no longer available to meet, as was originally planned. After school, I scheduled an hour of personal training at the gym, since my school work will be completed before class.’’ He answered Fugaku methodically, which allowed for the lie to slip by undetected.

‘’Very good then.’’

But his mother seemed disappointed, ‘’Oh no, you shouldn’t practice tonight son. I wanted to give you our tickets to the Matsuri festival that starts this evening, since your father is leaving this morning for London and will not be back until very early Saturday morning, with Itachi.’’

Sasuke understood immediately why his mother was sullen. However, he also surmised that for his father to cancel his weekly night out with their mother, his departure was not scheduled, perhaps even very urgent. He knew that his mother looked forward to their weekly date and therapy session, both of which were canceled that week.

‘’I can go with you instead, mom.’’

Mikoto smiled happily at Sasuke. ‘’Of course not, silly. I was implying that you could take the tickets for yourself and invite that adorable lab partner of yours.’’

Her declaration made Fugaku smile for the first time that morning and unbeknownst to his mother, Sasuke instantly knew what he really wanted to do with the tickets. He smiled as well. ‘’Thank you mother, I’ll see what I can do with these.’’ He kissed her goodbye and left with tonight’s date idea in hand.

Although it made him nervous again to make the first move, Sasuke hoped to catch Naruto before morning class and hand him a note with the ticket. They would be an hour away from Kyoto, at a prestigious and expensive festival, where no one would recognize or pay them any attention. It sounded perfect. His driver, Hidan, was ready with the car and as Sasuke opened the passenger door, the smell of coffee delighted his senses.

‘’Thank you, Hidan, you are a lifesaver.’’

‘’I figured as much,’’ came the snarky retort and both of them laughed quietly. There was a third coffee for himself as well.

‘’I owe my lab partner breakfast and this place is her favorite.’’ The Uchiha looked into the bag of food to confirm the contents.

Hidan was paid well for his perfection. Sasuke had asked him to stop, the night before, during the ride home from Naruto’s place.

‘’Also, I may be going to Yokohama’s Matsuri festival after school. No guarantees. I may just sell the tickets if no one wants to go.’’ He began searching the information on his phone. It seemed interesting. The event was to celebrate the fine foods and delicacies of that region. This was sure to please Naruto – there would even be a ramen stand.

As they arrived in the parking lot of the school, another vehicle pulled up alongside them and Karin appeared from within. Her eyes instantly widened in utter joy and she rushed the Uchiha, holding a tray of drinks, and a bag of food, defenseless to her embrace.

‘’Thank you so much Sasuke, you’re wonderful.’’ She beamed happily as her hands wrapped around her hot coffee cup.

Sasuke sighed as she began her usual pleasantries with him. ‘’Did your evening with your brother go well, Sasuke?’’ she asked, as they wandered the empty hallways to the science laboratories.

‘’Yes, it did.’’ He answered indifferently. It ended that conversation – and his lie – swiftly.

Karin tried a different approach, ‘’So Sasuke, how are you feeling about the first tournament next weekend? I’ve been meaning to ask.’’ She turned on the lights for the big empty classroom and they strolled over to their usual seats at the far right of the room.

‘’Fine,’’ he replied simply, ‘’Anxious to win.’’ This was the same response he gave everyone. He seemed fierce and focused on his victory, in their eyes. That was the impression he wished to instill upon his father most of all. Karin believed everything he said. She idolized and adored him for it – his ardor and passion to become the next great winner.

‘’Awesome. You should be eager to kick some butt, I just know you’ll win.’’

Before she could continue down her chosen course, Sasuke stopped that conversation as well by presenting her with breakfast. It smelled delicious enough to silence Karin for several minutes, as she devoured her meal. The coffee washed it all down nicely. Sasuke had retrieved their coursework from his folders and began proofreading it as he finished eating as well.

He made sure that her chitchat remained minimal, or they would never finish punctually, but there was no way he could have anticipated that Sakura and Lee, her lab partner, would walk into the classroom at exactly six thirty, with the same intent as them.

‘’Good morning everyone!’’ Lee’s cheery voice rang out into the stillness of the room.

‘’What are _you_ doing here, huh, just couldn’t let me have some time alone with Sasuke, right?’’ Karin’s words were frosty and her glare absolutely frigid.

Instantly, any good mood that could be salvaged disintegrated into the now subzero temperature of arctic hatred that these women shared for one another. Sakura’s eyes narrowed, as if to freeze the redhead to death and even Lee became fearful of his partner. He chuckled uneasily.

‘’I’m sorry if we’re interrupting,’’ Lee said meekly and it scared him now that Sakura had yet to speak a single word but seethed visibly instead.

Sasuke broke the silence, with his calm and stern voice, ‘’Not at all, you guys aren’t interrupting anything. We’re doing our science project for Friday.’’

‘’So are we.’’ Lee replied and his cheerful demeanor slowly returned. ‘’How about we split the room then.’’ He suggested so he and Sakura headed to the back left corner and started their work.

Sasuke’s annoyed stare caused Karin to make an obnoxious face at him and she became less and less cooperative. Her temperament always stiffened around Sakura. He wanted to snap at Karin but it would only result in her revenge, which would be cruel and merciless once again, that he knew for certain.

Her ignorance and jealousy, however, made her needlessly problematic. He never understood Karin or her zealous devotion to him. When they first met, he found her attractive and mature but her mood always changed at the drop of a dime. It was overwhelming for him – how could he ever date someone like that? Sakura was the real epitome of maturity and intelligence and all those reasons helped him decide to ask her out instead of Karin, back then.

Now, all he wanted to do was finish his morning punishment sentence with Karin and find Naruto before their classes began. Karin also seemed eager to leave the room but the conclusion she composed for their thesis was choppy and vague. He corrected several of her mistakes, which angered her to the point of obstinate silence again.

‘’Karin!’’ He sighed in frustration and only after a pointed glare at him in return, did she finish her part of the assignment.

Their projects always ended up like this. Sasuke could never have satisfied Karin and that was very clear to him. He hated arguing with her petty attitude problems. She only ever complained about random things she disliked. Her personality was dreary to him and irritating, even completely chaotic at times. He wanted vibrancy and enthusiasm, not anger and disdain. Nothing made him happier than leaving Karin that morning; she finally acted normal once the assignment was complete. She became casual again and friendly.

The Uchiha could not help but wonder if she herself noticed these vicious swings in her mood.  

Yet, Sasuke’s sudden relief was short lived, for as he turned down the first hallway, his eyes settled upon the sight of Hinata Hyuuga hugging Naruto Uzumaki. He watched her smile and laugh, as she ran up to Naruto and threw herself at him without any hesitation. He looked away though, as Naruto accepted the embrace with open arms and a greeting.

It was as if he stopped breathing again and the world was slowly disappearing around him with every step away from that scene he walked. His ears were deaf and his hands were shaking. His legs were numb but still moving of their own accord. After a minute, he finally dared to breathe.

What…had…just…happened…  


Even in his dreams now, there was Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto woke up several times during the night, almost embarrassed to be dreaming about his best friend. They were talking in that surreal moment but the words, as he awoke, vanished from his mind and he could only remember seeing Sasuke smile at him.

That face was so…handsome.

Naruto buried his face in his pillow but the dark blush on his cheeks would not fade away into the softness. He regretted not talking to either of his uncles after they returned; he feigned sleep, fearful of them now that he felt so confused. Without any hesitation, he had kissed Sasuke, half expecting it to be awkward and unpleasant because they were both males. But it really wasn’t.

What now?

Naruto laid awake for over an hour, contemplating the night’s events. He inhaled deeply, placed a hand on his chest, and clutched the necklace he always wore – a pendant from his grandmother – their family’s heirloom. A part of him wished that he could speak with his grandparents; they always gave him sound advice. He felt alone, stilled in the darkness by his own overly anxious heart.

What if they decided to be a couple? There was no denying that his best friend possessed all the attributes and qualities that interested him for a partner – Hinata Hyuga did as well. Although Iruka warned Naruto not to compare both dates, he could not help from analyzing each scenario that way. He also realized, however, that Sakura Haruno was the only other person he ever loved. Only now, as he was fully open to his own heart, did he see her face there as well. It was almost too much to think about. She was also his best friend. Could the same thing happen for them?

His date with Sasuke went extremely well; he knew this, deep down inside of him, which is why his thoughts always returned to the Uchiha. Sasuke’s answers to his questions made him understand how easy it would be to fall for him. Even in the midst of their awkward silences and painful questions, Sasuke always tried to reason out a comfortable solution for both of them. He opened Naruto’s blue eyes to the idea of being together with someone.

_What would that be like_ , he wondered to himself.

Sasuke made him feel secure, despite how much this decision would change their lives. Was he willing to do this? Could he do this? He had only ever seen Sasuke act that way with him. His mind always returned to this thought.  
  
 _He is willing to do all of this…for me._

Even though their conversation was insanely difficult and agonizingly honest, they both managed to understand one another better, in the end. Naruto had not felt this connection with Hinata. Yet, the thought of Hinata was always followed by the memory of her lips against his and her smiling face. She was beautiful. Sasuke had not kissed Naruto with the same fervor of careless fear and innocence. He hesitated. He reasoned out the situation. But the spark that ignited earlier in Naruto’s chest made it extremely hard not to think about kissing his best friend again. That could only happen though, with the promise of a commitment.

Naruto admitted to himself, in the middle of the night, that he could possibly be interested in Sasuke. But he needed to resolve one last issue first – Sakura. She would always be dear to both teenagers and Naruto did not want to jeopardize his chances or his relationship with Sakura. If she would only look at him just like Hinata had. Or would they always just be friends? He felt like he knew the answer but for the sake of Sakura’s heart, it was worth trying one last time.

_Too many decisions_ , Naruto sighed and curled up beneath his comforter again. Was he even ready for a relationship? He fell asleep anew with many unanswered questions but the morning greeted him with a positive outlook and determination. Today would bring understanding and order to the chaos of his emotions.

At least he hoped for something close to that.

Iruka had breakfast set on the table for all three occupants and as Naruto entered the kitchen he sported his usual cheery demeanor and lazy morning grin. No practice that morning but still not enough sleep. It showed on his features.

‘’Good morning!’’

Naruto was greeted with smiles and left to eat in peace. He occasionally glanced up from his plate and was not surprised to see them both inspecting him regardless. Kakashi nursed his coffee in anticipation. Iruka sighed in defeat. The smile on Kakashi’s face said it all; Iruka began the conversation slowly, before his lover could start asking his absurd questions.

‘’Naruto , you are a young adult now and we – yes, _we_ – respect your privacy here in this house. So we are not going to pry in your business.’’ There was a pointed glare directed at Kakashi during that sentence. It made Naruto feel at ease. He wanted to laugh at the sullen expression of his instructor. Iruka was always so thoughtful.

‘’Thanks. It’s okay – I’m good. I didn’t exactly sleep on it per say, but I did decide about a lot of things.’’

‘’I’m happy to hear that Naruto. You look tired but at least you look content. Did it go well?’’ Just like Naruto, sometimes Kakashi really could not help himself.

‘’It did.’’ Naruto answered without any hesitance. ‘’We talked about everything but I still haven’t decided on Sasuke yet. I know that Hinata and I will not work but… but I always liked Sakura, even before Sasuke shared his feelings for me. So I want to talk to her.’’

Both men sat quietly in the wake of Naruto’s response. Iruka had not expected him to bring up Sakura. He was also suddenly curious, ‘’Will your answer to Sasuke be contingent on your talk with Sakura?’’  
  
Naruto took a moment, visibly contemplating the inquiry. The profound depth of that question made him understand that his answer would be questionable.

‘’No – at least, I don’t want it to be. That’s not my intention, not matter how it may sound... That would just hurt both of them if they knew. No matter what happens, I wasn’t really going to tell her anything; I just wanted to see if she was at all attracted to me. Sasuke said several things to me that make me want to see for myself if something is there. If we’re compatible. If maybe she’s ready to date again.’’

His justification was simple. If Sakura could see past the layers of their friendship, would she decide to finally choose him as her next partner?  
  
But the notion of hurting Sasuke was also there – what if she said yes to him. What then. Naruto could see that Iruka was frowning but Kakashi accepted his nephew’s decision.

‘’I agree with Naruto, you need to be certain first when it comes to the matters of the heart.’’

‘’That sounds like a line from one of gramps’ book, Kakashi.’’

Laughter, they all agreed, created a sense of harmony in the room and helped shed away any remnant tension. It was comfortable and pleasant now. Naruto was able to smile genuinely before leaving for school that morning. He left early, hoping to meet Hinata at her locker. His first intention was to settle the matter between them. This would be the first time he broke someone’s heart.

Hinata shared Naruto’s decision to arrive early and she found him instead, at his locker. The moment amused Naruto greatly, as he turned around and saw her standing there, but he had not expected her to run into his arms. Within the seconds it took him to blink, Hinata was pressed into his chest and her hair tickled his chin. He instantly began to awkwardly laugh as he untangled himself from her soft body and flushed face.

‘’Good morning, Naruto.’’ Hinata said delicately and smiled so beautifully that Naruto felt pieces of his own heart crumbling, before he could even speak.

‘’Hinata, hi… I wanted to talk to you, so I’m glad that you’re here.’’

She realized that his expression was hurt and his brow line was furrowed. Her head could only nod as her eyes clouded with sudden confusion and panic. What was going on?

_Naruto looks like he…_

‘’I’m sorry Hinata, I don’t want to lead you on in any way because I still want to be your friend, just not your boyfriend.’’

Hinata stood before Naruto and resisted every urge in her body to cry but the sorrowful look etched into his features caused several tears to fall. She wanted to hate him for hugging her again, as she cried and yet his words helped console her the most.

‘’Hinata, it’s not you, really. It’s me. I’m not in a clear state of mind right now. I don’t know what I want. And there’s a lot of pressure on my shoulders now that I don’t want to burden anyone else with. Maybe when this is all over, if I don’t ruin things now, who knows how we’ll feel then…’’

He gave her hope and although he felt guilty, he too felt strangely reassured by the uncertainty of the future. Hinata kept herself composed, as she nodded to Naruto, and promptly excused herself before the start of class. His sullen face remained in place until the end of his first break. Shikamaru noted that he was acting unlike himself, aloof and defensive. Kiba immediately mentioned Hinata’s name; he saw her crying over Naruto and bitterly remarked that he wasted his best opportunity.

Naruto saw Hinata again in mathematics; she was Sakura’s partner. It only took one glance from Sakura to know that she wanted to speak with him. She did not seem pleased. He could only imagine what thoughts were going through her mind and what information was told to her. Some were clear on her face and so he shamefacedly looked away from both women.

After class, as expected, Sakura’s distinctive voice echoed in his ears, no sooner did he exit the classroom.

‘’Naruto.’’ She said it strictly and the taut line across her mouth, from which his name resonated, was not a welcome sight.

He instantly recognized her tone, authoritative and dissecting. However, Naruto simply offered her his usual lopsided grin. His mind was set on a clearer objective. He could endure Sakura’s probing questions, and her derisive remarks, in order to show her his feelings.

‘’Hey Sakura,’’ Naruto eased into the conversation. ‘’Have lunch with me?’’

His sheepish smile was enough to soften her stern stare and she accepted the invitation, with a sigh of frustration.

In the end, she simply asked, ‘’What happened?’’ and Naruto explained to his best friend the series of events that unfolded. There was so much more he wanted to tell her, as he looked into her memorizing green eyes but the truth about Sasuke would hurt her too much. It was easy talking to Sakura. Naruto sat comfortably in her presence, discussing how his heart felt. She knew he was under great pressure but had not realized that it would affect his romantic life, in such a way.  
  
Sakura was empathetic; she offered kind words to him, trying to cheer him up.

‘’You know, sometimes in life, it’s better to stay single and face things on your own, to make you stronger.’’ Those were the words her mother proudly spoke to her, when she came home heartbroken for the first time in her life. They gave her strength to rely on herself. She smiled at Naruto but realized that he was not paying attention to her words. He was staring oddly at her and she could see the hesitance in his eyes.

‘’Sakura, just look at me. Really look at me. I know I’m one of your best friends but try and see past those notions between us. Can you feel a spark between us?’’

Naruto’s sudden confession completely surprised her; she assumed that he needed advice, or consoling, but… was his real reason for hesitating with Hinata… her?

Those big blue eyes were innocently asking her for something she could not give. She felt guilty, sitting silently in the midst of those words. Her only wish was for Naruto to experience genuine happiness, which is why she initially gave Hinata her blessing. It made sense to her that Hinata hesitated. Everyone knew that Naruto had publically chased Sakura for a whole year, before she dated Sasuke.

_Never again_ , Sakura swore to herself, would she hurt Naruto in such a horrible way. Explaining this to him was so hard though. He wanted her love and she could only provide the warmth and compassion of a best friend. That bond was important to her – it was severed with Sasuke, lost to her now. Their friendship was unable to return to its prior state and that same chance risked destroying hers with Naruto if they also crossed that line. It was excruciatingly hard to hurt Naruto, when that was the last thing she wanted to do.

_Why will he always love me_ , she thought sadly.

‘’I am sorry Naruto, but I know that I don’t have any romantic feelings for you. I’m really sorry…’’

‘’Don’t be, Sakura. I’m not upset. I…I only asked because I needed to make sure.’’ Naruto stopped Sakura’s apologetic ramblings before the tears that were building up in her eyes threatened to spill over. He almost regretted asking because the sight of her sad face still painfully gripped his heart. But he was ready to let go.

Sakura wanted to ask him why but knew it was not her place to do so. His matters with Hinata were private and she could only hope that eventually everything would return to normal. Naruto walked over to Sakura and hugged her; the tears finally fell from her shimmering emerald orbs. It still felt alright between them, just tense again. Naruto was always so strong. Twice that day, he realized, he made resilient women cry.

Naruto’s stomach growled noisily and ended their hug. Sakura tried to laugh uneasily, just like Naruto, and he chuckled as well. It helped them both. They visited a street vendor for lunch but Sakura excused herself shortly after. She wanted to give Naruto his space. His head was swimming again in confusion. He felt dizzy and there was a painful weight in his chest. It was so overwhelming. Sakura said no. She left him there, again. It hurt incredibly to learn that her heart was closed to him, maybe even indefinitely. Her honesty though helped calm his nerves and that was why he admired her. Her words of advice continued to linger in his mind.

Those green eyes of hers never lied, even when her mouth betrayed her at times. Naruto had asked her out casually on several occasions and brushed off her _I’m busy_ rejections like they barely fazed him. Only once before had he poured his heart out to her. He wanted to walk away from her words but they stung too deep and he asked her why. He pushed her for answers. His confession finally opened her eyes to the young man asking her for a chance.

She said, back then, with a soft smile, ‘’I don’t really know what love is…and I understand that you want to find out with me… but with you, Naruto, a girl grows old and settles down to have a family, because she knows that her husband is genuine, brave, reliable, and fearless. That’s the type of man that raises children.’’

Her reply was beautiful but it also hurt more than any punch he had received to the face. Sakura’s blows were always precise, kind, and merciless to him.

‘’So you…don’t want to waste a future with me…now?’’

‘’Saying yes to you, Naruto… that’s not fair to ask of me. I don’t want to say yes or no, because I don’t know…’’

Naruto accepted her answer then, just as he processed it now, sitting alone in the field outside of school. Sakura did to him what he did to Hinata. He meditated and contemplated these events, under the sun, absorbing its warmth. He would always be the type of person that smiled through all of his hardships. He could always laugh at himself and let go of the doubt and sadness that troubled him.

That only left him with one decision now – Sasuke’s.

____________________________________________________________________________________

After class, an hour of mind numbing physics, Naruto decided to message Sasuke, as he leaned heavily against his locker. They had ten minutes before last period started. Kiba stopped by to chat – two minutes went by without an answer. Then, Shino joined the conversation and confirmed his work plans with Naruto, for Thursday. Half their break had passed and still no reply. He felt irked and kept glancing at the screen but it was useless.

He threw his phone into his bag before his economics class and waited impatiently for the lecture to end. There was no way to focus now. He tried to remain calm and peaceful but the lecture on taxes was not exhilarating enough. The last time he snuck a peak at his phone, during Genma’s lesson, the teacher threw his chalk at the blonde’s head. He had narrowly dodged.

_‘’Nice reflexes Uzumaki – now turn it off and never touch it again in this classroom.’’ Such a backhanded compliment, Naruto thought, as he smiled begrudgingly._

The class itself was a bore but Genma was usually very entertaining. Today was no exception. The antics had just begun. He was scolding Choji for failing their budgeting assignment. Several others were named as pitiful examples as well; Naruto was saved from the list only because the bell rang. He received his paper though, a passing grade overall with a snarky comment about his food expenses – only ramen.

Naruto finally reached for his phone, no sooner did he drop the graded work into his bag. His mood instantly soured. No message. He breathed out his frustrations deeply and the voice in the back of his head told him to wait, class had only just ended. At his locker, he saw Kiba again but they simply nodded to one another. Shikamaru ended the awkward silence by conversing with Kiba and Naruto decided to leave another text message.

**Hey Sasuke, what’s up?**

Sasuke did not check his phone again until he arrived at his destination – the rooftop. He spent all day ignoring the world; Suigetsu annoyed him during their first break with his droning about women. He did not say a word during that entire conversation. For lunch, Sasuke escaped to the water fronts and ate in silence; his phone was left behind in his locker. Even the loud music from his earbuds could not quiet the thoughts in his head. He walked with Juugo throughout their afternoon break and he debated internally for those ten minutes whether to answer Naruto or not.

The afternoon breeze steadied his nerves and he finally decided to reply. He was ready to see Naruto.

Time to talk.

He silently watched his comrades all flood from the school and into the surrounding streets. The first line of buses rolled away from the building and several extracurricular activities were beginning on the sports court. He could hear the cheers and protests, a cacophony of chaos from below. His ears almost missed the sound of the rooftop’s door opening.

There he was. Naruto.

‘’There you are, I’ve only been texting you since last break.’’ His dramatic complaint, more than anything, was his way of initiating first contact. He really wanted to know why he was being ignored. The Uchiha’s face showed off his own clear annoyance though, regardless of the statement. The blunt attitude suited both of them sometimes.

‘’Why did I watch Hinata Hyuga throw herself into your arms this morning?’’ Sasuke was angrily straightforward. Naruto blinked a few times, taken aback; he understood immediately the distrust he saw in his best friend’s eyes.

It all made sense now. At least _this_ he could deal with.

‘’Seriously, Sasuke. You watched Hinata hug me and walked away without seeing what actually happened next.’’ That hug had also taken him by surprise. He could only imagine how that would seem to their peers… let alone him. But he walked away…

Sasuke refused to utter a response; he relied on his glare, because his words would surely betray him.

‘’I told Hinata that I didn’t want to pursue anything with her and she cried in my arms.’’ Naruto sighed deeply, as the thought saddened him. He was sure that his revelation would put Sasuke at ease but it also bothered him that his best friend was deliberately avoiding him, based on nothing but his own insecurities. ‘’Sasuke, look, it’s just-‘’ Naruto began but the Uchiha swiftly cut him off. ‘’I’m sorry Naruto.’’ He paused again, before finally sighing as well, ‘’I woke up to these festival tickets and I thought of you, but lost my confidence this morning when I saw that.’’

Naruto knew that apologizing had never been one of Sasuke’s many talents and so he appreciated the sincerity of the sentiment, showing his relief with a smile. It struck his heart directly. He wanted to discuss the matter further but chose to focus on the positive instead. There was undoubtedly more that could be said; Naruto understood though how uneasy and confused Sasuke must also feel constantly around him. Jealousy easily clouded one’s mind; it excites your senses with hazy and clouded anxiety.

Sasuke was encouraged by the momentum of the night before and Naruto found that slightly charming, if not very bold for him. The blonde realized that he too wanted to try again, if only to see his best friend relax again and smile. Their situation, however, was extremely delicate. Had they not just resolved to ease into these dates? Still… he could think of nothing holding him back from trying.

Naruto found the same resolve he woke up with that morning and asked, ‘’So you want to go out with me again tonight?’’

‘’I know that I said I would give you time…my mom gave me tickets to a festival in Yokohama and I figured that we would blend in well there without being noticed.’’

It was far away. Somewhere new. A place where they could unwind and cheer themselves up. Sasuke had a good idea.

‘’Sure, sounds fun.’’

Sasuke could not believe how easily Naruto adapted to the situation and to him with such assurance; it seemed almost flawless. He felt utterly foolish for fueling himself with doubt all day because he has always known how understanding Naruto can be. They are best friends, after all.

He shuffled awkwardly, dwelling in his own embarrassment. Naruto tried not to laugh. It was incredibly obvious to him. He could smile through anything though. Only then, did Sasuke finally let himself consider that perhaps Naruto was serious about them too…and smiled confidently.  
  
  
 **-=TBC=-**  
  


Let me know what you all think, as always. Detailed reviews are my favorites. I rewrote Naruto’s conversation with Sakura four times before I was satisfied with it. The last scene too, I redid it three times. I spent way too much time editing


	6. The Second Act

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As all authors tell their fans, I do apologize for the long delay of this chapter. Officially married and very happy.
> 
> And this is 17 pages. Longest chapter yet.
> 
> If it makes anyone feel better, I have started Chapter 7 and posted several other things that kept me distracted. Enjoy!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** Nothing

**-=Chapter 6 – The Second Act=-**

Again, just like that, the date began with a question.

Naruto's curiosity encouraged him to ask, ''so what is this festival about then?''

Sasuke was thankful that Naruto was always so talkative and laid back. The momentary tension had dispersed within seconds thanks to the casual demeanor of his best friend. One of the many reasons that Sasuke was drawn to Naruto's side. He felt at ease with him. Everything he lacked was overflowing in abundance from Naruto. It did not take him long to understand that they were opposites that still complemented one another's best features. Their beginnings were rough though, they tormented one another until their destinies drew them apart for their childhoods. Yet, they had been through almost everything together thus far; from fighting each other, to fighting over a woman, until finally setting aside their differences and becoming real best friends through their rivalry.

''It's a showcase of the local cuisine with various shows, games, and a light show.'' Sasuke replied, as he produced the tickets from his wallet.

They read "Special Admittance" across them.

The price made Naruto comment, ''glad I'm not paying.''

''It's because it's all inclusive. We show our bracelets and everything is free to us.''

''Damn. Say thanks to mom and dad then, I am going to eat until I am stuffed!''

They began to walk over to the door but before they rejoined the last of their classmates, still lingering in school after the last bell, Sasuke asked Naruto simply, ''are we okay then?''

For all the times he was called stupid or slow-witted, Naruto understood exactly what Sasuke meant. ''Yea. We're good.''

It did not take them long to leave the school and find their patiently waiting ride parked outside. No sooner did the door open and both friends get inside, did Hidan smile wickedly at them and tease, ''couldn't find a date, Sasuke?'' His jest earned him a glare from Sasuke but Naruto simply laughed, ''we're going to go meet the ladies there!''

He declared that he was the Uchiha's new wingman and the awkward comment was long forgotten in the joke. The fact that they were best friends served as the perfect guise for their actual intent. The festival was, he explained, the perfect hunting ground for the courageous of men, searching for the groups of young female friends that were also enjoying themselves. Sasuke appreciated Naruto's humor during the ride; it took over an hour to arrive and Hidan was talkative.

''I'm starving.'' Naruto complained, until they arrived but once there, it did not take them long to exchange their tickets for golden bracelets, at which point they were granted entrance to the festival.

''Let's eat!''

There were almost too many food vendors to visit. The festival was spread out throughout the whole park and lines were already forming in front of many booths. Naruto picked first; they tried various foreign meats and delicacies with chopsticks and relished in the various savory flavor blends. Sasuke's choice was simple; the next vendor in line. ''We should try them all.'' Naruto then decided and they stopped at every one in succession.

Although ambitious, they came across several things they could not or would not eat. Sasuke despised nattõ; yet, Naruto insisted he would bravely try the dish. His face was utterly priceless to Sasuke, hilarious even, as the blonde quickly spat the mouthful back into the small plate no sooner did it enter. He visibly cringed, desperate for water or a change of tastes for his pallet and Sasuke utterly laughed at him. The red bean soup they sampled next was incredible to Naruto and he requested seconds. Sasuke only overindulged in the onigri, Naruto noticed and so he asked for another dozen of them, since everything was free to them. Even take away.

As they waited for the large order, Sasuke asked him why, to which Naruto replied, ''leftovers for lunch tomorrow.''

The Uchiha could not help but wonder if that was a subtle invitation to eat with his rival.

Their last stop was at the barbecued skewers stand. Naruto was disappointed that his had more vegetables than shrimp and so Sasuke offered him a tiny crustacean in exchange for a grilled tomato. It was almost like feeding each other as they ate from one another's skewer. Both of them tried to hide their flushed cheeks by awkwardly diverting their gazes.

By the time they reached the dessert section, they had several bags of their favorite samples. The vendors were more than happy to fill containers for them. They tried several pastries next; Sasuke even stopped for dango for his brother. Naruto claimed they were delicious but Sasuke declined to try anymore sweets.

''You never want dessert.'' Naruto stated, as he continued to devour the last of his dango.

''I much prefer chocolate.''

This was something new. Naruto did not know that his date secretly indulged in the dark creaminess of chocolate. ''Like chocolate bars, or pure chocolate?''

''Just chocolate.''

In the end, after all that food, they both felt like gluttons and laughed about it. There were rows of tables set out and so they sat down lazily to digest. The festival attracted a large gathering of people; several shows were beginning just by the sound of traditional music that started serenading the crowds.

''That was delicious. Other than that nattõ – I couldn't do the texture. Yuck.'' The memory alone made Naruto shudder.

''My father eats that for breakfast, almost once a week. It smells horrible.''

''That man must have a stomach of steel.'' Naruto said, as his own gastric system forced a loud burp from his gullet.

But it was the worst possible moment to belch so abruptly; either of them had noticed the two young children slowly approaching their table. They were twin boys, from the looks of it, and both of them laughed at the gross noisy sound from Naruto.

''Nice one.'' The first child said and his tiny voice drew their attention instantly.

There was a moment of silence, as all four males stared at one another.

''A-are you guys…Na-Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke U-Uchiha…'' The second brother asked; he was shy and hesitant, unlike his awe-struck brother.

Either teenager could believe that these young boys recognized them so easily. Naruto slowly nodded to them, ''and who are you guys?'' he asked.

''We're twins! Our daddy loves kendo a lot and we watched you both fight on tv lots of times now! And we have tickets to the next tournament!'' The first brother was clearly excited now. He was almost jumping up and down as he spoke. His eyes were filled with wonder as he cheered. These were celebrities to the children – the teenagers they aspired to become one day.

Their father finally noticed that his sons had escaped the lineup for food and wandered away from him. He saw them over at the tables, not too far away, and as he approached in exasperation, they kids greeted him with, ''Look, look, daddy! It's them, it's them!''

Thankfully, their outburst did not draw too much attention. No one else came to ask for their autographs. Only these little boys recognized them and so did their father. He was extremely apologetic though, despite being extremely amused by his offspring.

''Oh wow, I'm sorry. I feel terrible about them just coming over here and disturbing both of you. You're both famous in our household because of my love for the sport.''

''Oh no, not at all. If you guys tell me your names, we can definitely sign autographs for you. Sasuke and I were taking a break from all of our training to eat some great food tonight.''

Naruto always had that approachable and composed attitude about him; even now, he knew exactly what to say to these young children to make them smile and laugh. That effect worked on Sasuke as well now, almost every time.

''If you really love kendo like we do, then train hard and come fight us someday.'' Sasuke told the twins, as he handed them his signature. It was not the first time this had happened to either of them. Even at school, sometimes their peers would ask for their autographs or pictures and claim it was for their younger siblings who were fans.

The father thanked them profusely for talking with his boys and Naruto's maturity immediately faded into his own self-indulgence as soon as they departed. He secretly loved the attention of his fans though. He had been stopped at the grocery market once and he knew that Sasuke was recognized by his driving instructor. They shared these stories in the mornings, when they trained before class.

''I'm so happy they came over, so adorable. And so brave too. See, we are stars.'' Naruto was gushing about himself again. Sasuke merely rolled his eyes. All this proved to him was that their rivalry and the upcoming championship was still a popular trend and they were recognizable. Their school had already gained such prestige from the last year of competitions. Each of them won a title and that meant that each of them had bested the other. The championship tournament would put them on an even playing level again and give them the chance to finally settle their score. The local news, press, and sports reporters loved it when these two fought. They guaranteed an exhilarating match.

Sasuke pushed aside his thoughts of their upcoming battle and suggested they walk around to see the various sights. A parade of musicians strolled through the crowds, along the pathways, followed by a procession of glowing lanterns. They, amongst the throngs of people, stood side by side as watched the show dance by them. Sasuke deliberately brushed his fingers against Naruto's and that earned him a smirk and a glance from a pair of soft blue eyes. Even if Naruto wanted to, he realized that they would not be able to hold hands, as other people were doing all around them.

As the band continued down the laneways, the teenagers began to wander through the crowds. There was an information section. There was also a small stretch of vendors selling charms and jewelry. Naruto assumed that they should head straight down into the next section but Sasuke insisted they stop and read the sign.

Naruto was browsing the tiny shop when Sasuke pulled him towards the park up ahead. They walked through it and towards the games area. Several larger stalls were lined up with walls of prizes. There was a fortune teller they both snickered at, as she tried to sway the young men with her alluring promises of the future. Her words were empty echoes, falling on their deaf ears. They both had questions they sought answers to but were willing to patiently wait for their destinies to unravel themselves.

''Shall we play some games then?'' Naruto prompted; he knew that even on a date, their competitive natures would undoubtedly surface.

The shooting gallery first enticed them. It was not the same as their video games though. Naruto was terrible at aiming without a scope and missed the first three shots. Sasuke complained that his trigger was stiff and that delayed his shots, therefore lowering his accuracy. The vendor laughed every time they missed a target and spouted a new excuse to each other. On their last shot, Sasuke finally hit the bull's-eye and he was declared the winner.

Naruto sulked the entire way to the next game, ring toss.

''This game is pure luck.'' Sasuke said but they tried a round nonetheless.

The Uchiha missed his first throw and Naruto's frown disappeared into mirthful laughter. Not only did Sasuke miss, the plastic ring bounced off the back wall of the stall and back to their feet.

''Not so hard, you have to throw lightly,'' Naruto explained, as he tried to demonstrate a perfect throw.

He missed.

Sasuke chortled derisively as Naruto glared daggers at the offending ring. The blonde had noticed that there were girls now standing beside them; they had wandered up and watched the young men play. Were they waiting for their turn? He only looked briefly, from the corner of his eye, as he heard them whispering. It drew his attention because they were staring at them and not the game. His momentary distraction earned him a jab to his ribs and he instinctively stuck his tongue out at Sasuke for the gesture.

Either of them was expecting his next ring to land directly on its target and there was a moment of silence and stunned awe before Naruto finally burst into loud cheering. He held his hand up for a high five but Sasuke only glared.

''Wow, that was amazing,'' came the compliment from beside them.

The Uchiha made note of both females, as they slowly approached the booth but decisively ignored them by throwing his second ring. He also knew that Naruto was side glancing at them; he felt annoyed by his best friend but could not say anything. In these situations, Sasuke always opted to avoid nuisances such as them. Naruto was inevitably his opposite.

''Thanks,'' The blonde replied and just then the vendor interrupted the moment by offering the winner a prize of his choosing.

Naruto finally decided on a giant dog plush for his uncle Kakashi and yet again, the teenage girls praised his selection.

''It's so cute, I wish someone like you would win me an adorable puppy dog like that.''

Sasuke groaned inwardly. He knew exactly where this conversation was headed; the airheads would inevitably begin to flirt with them. Their prattle made them sound like mindless twits to him. This was why the opposite gender no longer attracted him. He longed for self-confidence, an assertive personality, and a dignified demeanor. They were bold at first but now they stood their twirling their hair between their fingers, both coyly blushing, and batting their blackened eyelashes incessantly, as if it made them prettier.

Naruto, however, had no intention of encouraging the conversation; he simply did not want to be rude. He realized that these females probably found them attractive and seemingly available, as they were alone at the game stand. Was that not their cover story? Several days ago, this situation would have been ideal for him and perhaps a hundred percent different.

''Sorry ladies, this puppy is going to my girlfriend.'' The blonde finally replied, in hopes of deterring them.

His response earned him a frown from one female and a heavy sigh from the other. ''Lucky girl,'' came their muttered retort and they walked away sulking from the duo.

''I got rid of them.'' Naruto stated obviously and Sasuke merely rolled his eyes. He was right though; they did not see either girl for the rest of the evening.

Sasuke could not admit to himself that he felt relieved.

Amongst all the games, there were artists and vendors strewn about, selling a variety of items, from paintings, to teas and spices, even fresh local fruits and vegetables were available. In one stall, the back wall was decorated with traditional masks for sale. They had originally wandered in, fascinated with the weaponry, like switch blades and kunai, but the porcelain masks captivated them the most. Each one was white, designed with black or red lines. The craftsmanship was impeccable. Some masks were humanoid, or slightly grotesque, while others represented animals.

Naruto chose the fox mask and tried it on. ''What do you think?''

''Suits you,'' Sasuke replied, as he brought the eagle mask to his own countenance. ''And?''

''Foxes eat birds for dinner, Sasuke.'' Came the laugh from behind the ceramic layer.

They spoiled themselves, as Naruto said, and purchased the masks from the vendor.

''We should have bought throwing stars too and we would look like real ninjas.'' The blonde joked and they headed towards the stage area with their extra bags, where another large throng of individuals was forming.

A soft music played in the background for all guests to hear, as the actors appeared and took their places on stage. The teenagers found seats near the back and sat down for the show. They stuffed the oversized plush animal under the bench, in order to make room for another person to sit down. The performance debuted with a song and dance from the chorus; a samurai and a king next appeared and their dialogue began. Although Naruto tried to pay attention, he found his thoughts and eyes wandering from the show almost immediately.

There was a couple in front of them; the younger male casually snaked his arm around the female and she accepted the embrace by leaning her head upon his shoulder. A pang of envy echoed in his ribcage as he tried to focus on the play again. His efforts were futile though. He looked upon the entire crowd and observed how natural they all seemed. Families were seated all together; the mothers were with their children, shushing them into silence, as they excitedly cheered when the pretend sword battle commenced.

The ambiance was overwhelming. Even though they blended in, Naruto felt as if he stood apart. He did not fully understand his covetous feelings either. What would people think if they caught both of them holding hands or cuddling like that happy couple? How would their friends react? No matter how many times those questions darted in and out of his thoughts, their unresolved state left a seed of doubt in the back of his mind. Was he envious of the notion of being in a couple or that he himself could never make things work with the opposite sex?

That tiny spec of doubt was consumed by the memories of his uncle Iruka, when he first openly told Naruto about his relationship with Kakashi.

_Some people will be accepting and supportive, while others will shun and practice avoidance; the people that stay by your side are the ones that will always be worth your time and love._

That was almost ten years ago. And right now, he had Sasuke beside him. They would always support one another, no matter what. Even just as friends. That was what he truly wanted to believe.

The show finished and Naruto realized that his brain had not absorbed any of it.

''Daydreaming, much?'' The Uchiha said; it was enough to snap Naruto out of his reverie.

The show had finished and the rows of benches were clearing out.

''Sorry, I got distracted by my brain.'' Naruto said apologetically. ''I was thinking about…us.''

Sasuke was taken aback by how serious his best friend sounded. He did not know how to answer but definitely felt confused and hesitant again. His first statement was cutting; he was annoyed that Naruto had not been paying attention.

''If you want to talk, we can go somewhere else…'' These were the only words he could muster that made sense, even if he dreaded their implication.

Had something changed in the last half hour?

The question was met with an infamous smile instead of an immediate reply; Naruto had to stop doing that to Sasuke. His face was stern one moment and sheepish the next. He knew that the blonde did this too often. Was he repressing his thoughts and replacing them with a comforting grin, so as not to worry the Uchiha? He had to find out…or it would bother him incessantly, until he did.

''I definitely want to talk, but first, I was thinking that we should split up. I saw something that I wanted to get you…you know…like win you a prize.''

There would never be a way to predict what Naruto would say next, Sasuke realized. The ideas that left his mouth sometimes stumped the Uchiha; this particular request took him by complete surprise. He was not expecting such a…romantic gesture. His cheeks were slowly filling with color, even as he fought hard against the blush.

''Sure.'' Sasuke replied; he kept his answer simple, knowing that his best friends would surely elaborate his statement.

''Okay, so how about we meet back here in fifteen minutes. That will be enough time.''

He winked a blue eye at Sasuke and instantly vanished into the festival again. The Uchiha stood there and observed him for a moment, trying to figure out what the gift should be but Naruto looked ridiculous with the large stuffed animal bouncing away on his back, from every step that it made him chuckle at the absurdity.

Sasuke realized that his decision would have to be quick, or he would risk running into Naruto somewhere and ruin this notion of a surprise. He remembered that there was a dart game near the shooting range they started at but he found nothing of interest hanging from the walls of that booth. His eyes continuously scanned the rows of toys, jeweler, stuffed animals, and pictures that were lined up. Nothing stood out. He found cats and dogs but no fox plushies.

 _What would Naruto want, he kept asking himself_.

They had briefly known each other as children. Sasuke tried to recall those memories and yet all he had vividly held onto was the sight of those big blue eyes and blonde hair that he now saw every day. As kids, they would often run into each other at the park. Lots of other boys and girls were there and yet they were always drawn to each other immediately. The rest of their classmates always joined them in the end and they would all play dodgeball together. They had momentary scuffles but never really tried to really fight.

The memory was a touch hazy but Sasuke could remember this one time, when they walked home from school together with Naruto's father. That man was tall from his tiny perspective and he knew that Naruto took most of his features from his dad just by looking at them side by side. He also looked like his brother and father though, so he knew how that felt.

There was a frog keychain on his backpack that day; Sasuke recollected that he had commented on it and Naruto was excited that he noticed. It had been a gift from his grandfather's latest travels. In the end, it was not a keychain, but a coin purse that had been filled with foreign money. He was slightly envious because only his mother ever gifted him with small tokens of appreciation like that.

It was decided, he knew now to look for a frog or something similar. Or was it a toad? Did it even matter?

Although he was certain of his idea, finding this particular item would prove to be equally frustrating and confounding. He visited six different stalls before discovering what he thought resembled a frog but the vendor insisted that the blue amphibian was actually a puffer fish, not a fat and squishy looking toad. His efforts were rewarded though, immediately after, when he stepped up to a water balloon game. It required an adversary to play though. The more people that played, the bigger the prize. Sasuke did not care; he only needed one challenger to qualify for the basic prize, a frog stuffed animal. It was bright green with orange spots and all of its limbs dangled from the soft round body, hanging from a hook on the back wall.

As the Uchiha observed the booth, he noticed a few other people step forward, drawn in by the announcer's taunts and cheers. This was his opportunity. There were three guys and two girls in the group; they decided to play even before the Uchiha took out his money to join. They all glanced in his direction, as he sat down on the end stool; this was a water pistol game and the goal was to pop the balloon. Yet another game that simply required aim and a steady hand.

The announcer was slow to prepare the game; he even read them the instructions. Sasuke was only focused on the word "go" and as soon as they were granted permission to begin, he squeezed his finger on the trigger and aimed for the center target. None of the others stood a chance; he beat the entire group of friends and the boys were groaning in defeat as a chorus. They were already being dragged off to another game before long.

''So what do you want, you can have anything in this booth.''

''I want that frog.'' Sasuke replied and pointed to his selection.

''We have that one and another, this little guy too.'' The announcer laid his options before the Uchiha; there was the green frog and this other frog, a smaller one that was shaped differently.

''What is this one?'' Sasuke picked up the second option to examine it, only to realize, as the words echoed in his ears, that it was absolutely perfect.

''It's a coin-purse. With a keychain.''

The raven haired teenager took his prize and like the Cheshire cat, his grin extended fully across his mouth almost devilishly. If this was a competition, he would definitely win. He could feel his pride swelling victoriously in his chest. This was it.

Sasuke arrived first at the stage and briefly looked around to see if he could find his blonde companion anywhere but to no avail. There were definitely less guests though meandering about. Another play was about to start as the same familiar music entertained a new crowd. At least during his wait, he could hide the gift in his pocket and pretend to play on his cellphone, as a distraction.

It took an extra few minutes but finally, Naruto showed up, still equipped with his earlier prize, his bag, and a small box in his hands. Sasuke was instantly curious but tried to contain his reaction beneath a calm face.

''Sorry that I made you wait.'' Naruto said upon arrival and as if his guilt compelled him, he held out his surprise first, almost instantly.

''How about we head away from the stage,'' Sasuke suggested; he knew that they would get shushed into silence by the onlookers, engrossed with the magic of the play. They were standing right behind the benches, after all.

Together, they slowly walked away from the crowd. Sasuke finally accepted his gift and opened it as they tread along. It was a black box and inside, there was a small cushion with a charm resting upon it.

Sasuke picked it up and brought it closer. It was a silver fan charm, layered with bright red and white enamel. He could not help but laugh a little.

''It reminded me of your show and tell project about our family lineages.'' Naruto proudly announced. He eagerly explained his gift, ''I saw it earlier when you stopped to read the information sign. So I didn't actually win it, I bought it, but I did win the box it came in.''

''Thank you, it's very thoughtful of you. It's our family's crest but the colors on this one are inversed, which is why I laughed.''

Naruto was still pleased with himself. He was about to start on how he won the box but Sasuke abruptly stopped walking and told Naruto to face him, with his eyes closed. It made him want to chuckle and make a perverted joke but he chose to simply indulge his best friend instead and did as he said.

''Open your eyes.'' Sasuke presented him with his offering.

Naruto was left speechless. He took a deep breath and let out a tiny, ''wow''. His blue eyes were almost watery and he bit his lip hard. A crease appeared on his brow and his eyebrows twitched.

''Naruto, are you-''

It took all of his willpower not to cry.

''I'm okay…I just…haven't seen one of these since I was a kid. I had one.''

''I know, you had it on your backpack when we were kids and I remember wanting one just like yours.''

Naruto had a sad smile on his face. It made sense, He was finally able to look at Sasuke and explain his painful sorrows, without breaking down.

''I buried the old boss toad Gamabunta with my mom. I left it in her coffin, so that she would have my favorite belonging with her forever.''

The sad realization of what his token meant was utterly heartbreaking. He could not stop himself from saying quietly, in a low mumble, ''that's deep…'' He had no clue what else to say, as tiny prickles of tears welled momentarily in his dark eyes.

The blonde sniffled once and wiped away the tragic memory, in order to focus on the positive smile stitched into his new companion.

''I love it.'' Naturo said, as he stared intensely at the frog in his hands. ''As if you even remembered…''

He popped open the clasp and began to outright laugh. There was a single dollar coin inside and even though it was not some foreign currency, it cheered him up immensely. The gift was absolutely perfect, he realized, and it made him blush an embarrassed pink hue.

_As if Sasuke…_

''I also remember that you and your dad look almost exactly alike.''

Naruto stuck out his tongue at Sasuke. He was able to lighten up his spirits again by being silly. ''And you look almost exactly like Itachi.''

''I know.''

''So shall we go then?'' Naruto picked up the giant stuffed animal and nodded his head towards the large signs and banners of the festival. They had made it completely across the whole event. There was a path leading out the park and out to the nearby waterfront. Paper lanterns were lined up to illuminate the way.

''I love fire lanterns, I find them beautiful.'' Sasuke said, as they walked along the trail of the flickering beauties.

There was no wind and so the flames danced perfectly upright in each lantern. Some were carved with designs and the warm light spilled out into the darkness of the evening.

''I do too.''

The cool air of the water was refreshing, as they strolled away from the last remnants of the crowd. There were lots of benches down along the peer and since they still had time left on their date, Sasuke took Naruto's hand and lead him towards a spot, dimly lit by a single faint lamppost.

''Very romantic,'' Naruto commented, as he sat down and perched the canine plushie behind him. He was still holding his new frog in his hands, playing with its arms and legs.

''So what are you going to name it?'' Sasuke asked, and Naruto gave him a curious look. The Uchiha gestured to the frog.

''Do you name all your belongings?''

''Only the things I enjoy.''

''Ahhh, I see. I name my stuff too. I think I will call him Gamakichi. That's my grandfather's nickname for me and it suits this little guy too.'' It was official; his new coin purse had its new designation.

It was nice to finally sit down, drop their bags, and relax for a bit. They were both sprawled like lazy felines there, under the moonlight, enjoying a moment of peace together.

Sasuke asked quietly and the breeze of the night time's air almost gusted over his question. ''Do you want to play a game?''

Naruto rolled his blonde head of hair over to the side in a dramatic motion as he replied, ''what kind of game?''

''Twenty questions.''

''Sure, that sounds like fun. Can I start then?''

Sasuke nodded and Naruto paused briefly to strategize his approach to the game. Should he ask the blunt, outright questions? Or ask the mundane but quirky things about his best friend? Was there anything in particular he wanted to know?

''Who was your first crush?''

The first question earned him a groan. ''Sakura.'' came the monotonous reply from Sasuke. ''You know why.''

There was an awkward laugh. Sasuke cleared his throat and continued promptly.

''What is your absolute favorite video game?''

''You're not going to ask me who my first crush is then?'' Naruto completely avoided the inquest altogether, in order to mildly grumble.

''I just figured that you'll tell me these things eventually.''

Naruto sulked in protest, as he finally began to ponder his answer. It was not easy to pick amongst many titles that had earned his respect and hours of playtime.

''Call of Duty, Modern Warfare.''

''Really good choice.''

''So, what is your absolute favorite video game?'' The blonde repeated and Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto for his parroting ways.

''You're going to keep asking what I ask you, right?''

''Maybe,'' Naruto chuckled playfully.

''How about we each ask nine more questions and we both have to answer each one, instead of having a random lot of twenty.''

''Deal.''

''Mine is Assassin's Creed.''

''You should do that as a cosplay.''

They asked each other their favorite colour – red and orange. Their favorite mangas – Sasuke loved reading Bleach and Naruto had read and seen every episode of One Piece.

Naruto did not have a favorite school subject other than gym and Sasuke reluctantly agreed with him. Being good at something does not necessarily make it something you enjoy doing. Gym was relaxing to both of them.

Sasuke confessed to fearing blindness and Naruto was silent for long moment before admitting that car crashes terrified him. He lost his parents in an accident like that.

The Uchiha told Naruto that he wanted a cat first, as a pet, and then perhaps a bird when he was older, but he had no interest in dogs whatsoever. Naruto agreed, although he did not much enjoy the thought of an aviary friend either.

Sasuke, after their last batch of random curiosity questions, inquired if Naruto had any thoughts on his future after school.

''Okay… I'm not exactly certain, but I want to open my own kendo training gym or academy. I can't help myself if I want to do this for a long time, I love it.''

Sasuke admired Naruto's answer; it was optimistic and fueled by one of his passions in life. His goal was admiral, whereas his own, he knew was dictated by other people's expectations for his future endeavors.

''I am most likely going to continue my education. My father wants me to work in the family business and if that means I can train for kendo competitions at the same time, while working for him, I have no objections to that.''

It was still too soon now to determine where he would apply but in the following fall school semester, serious decisions would have to be made about his future. His entire grade would face the same daunting uncertainty of their futures next year.

''I figured you would want to continue with school. It suits you, really. You're extremely intelligent, under that emo haircut of yours.''

''As if you just said that.''

The next was an innocent probe. Naruto wanted to know what his rival's worst or scariest dream was. There was a story to Sasuke's answer.

''The night my father and Itachi fought – it was worse than any I'd ever seen between them. He kept accusing Itachi of being disgusting and unfit for anything except alcoholism. So Itachi got drunk and didn't come home that night. Then another night. He only came home a week later and no one really spoke for almost a month. That first night, I dreamt that I had killed my own brother with my own hands and then the next morning… we found out that his best friend had committed suicide and that was why he stayed away from us. Even when he was there, he wasn't… I could tell. ''

''Wow, that's intense. And creepy, all at once. I don't have scary dreams like that. The only time I ever had a nightmare, I dreamt that a giant fox demon tried to eat me and instead, I ate it somehow. It tried to hunt me and now I find it in my dreams sometimes, just there, watching.''

These were things that unless asked, would never be known to each other. Naruto, however, was not expecting the following inquiry about their evening thus far.

''Naruto, what were you thinking about, when you zoned out during the play?''

''A lot of things. Everything and nothing all at the same time. I saw that I would never be able to openly show any affection with you…even something as innocent as holding hands. I always feel indecisive inside but calm on the outside. All of the fundamentals of dating that I figured out from movies and women are all out the window with you. So I wanted to do something to express how I felt and since this is the place for random carnival games, I figured I could win you something.''

Sasuke's interrogations were never expected. They always came straight from left field and caught him almost completely off guard. It amazed him at how easily Sasuke could do that to him and yet before, he never acknowledged it when it happened. Naruto sat back up beside Sasuke, from his sprawled position, so that he could actually face him for the rest of the round of inquiries. The Uchiha sat up straight as well and turned into a comfortable lean against the bench.

''That's true, you did say that you won the box and not the fan.''

''I went and paid for the fan but the lady at the booth only had these frilly bags that I started asking the people behind the different booths for a spare box. And then I found this guy at the pond game that had a bracelet box and told me that if I won at least twice at his game, he would give it to me instead of some knickknack. I had to catch a tiny fish in my paper net…it was harder than it looked, heh. Took me four times to do it!''

Sasuke took out the charm, as Naruto told him the story behind the gift. ''I really like this, thank you.''

''Thank me by letting me asking you a random question, since you watched the play. And I don't really want you to tell me what happened anyways.''

The Uhicha nodded and so his rival said, in continuation, ''would you ever tell Itachi about us?''

Naruto wanted to smile almost triumphantly because his statement was incredibly bold. He wanted to outdo a blunt statement with another. Although he respected Itachi, he did not want him to know anything.

Sasuke blinked a few times, twitched his lip, as If pensive, and finally replied, ''No.''

''So no one then.''

''I don't want anyone else, I only want you.''

His gaze could be intimidating when he was completely focused, Naruto realized, as Sasuke stared at him. He was serious.

''Your turn,'' Naruto hurried past the awkward silence and faint dusting of a blush across the bridge of his nose.

''Do you like the idea of us being a secret?''

''Hmmm, what do you mean? …does it thrill me? Or do I just like the idea of hiding this from everyone?''

''You can answer either one of those.''

It would have been too easy to pick the obvious answer, and so Naruto smirked, ''it does thrill me.''

Sasuke laughed as the blonde sat in his own mild embarrassment, even though he was clearly flirting.

''Okay, next.'' Naruto began, ''would you change anything about me?''

''That's not an easy one.'' Sasuke sat there silently for almost a full minute, before he shook his head, ''No. I accept your flaws.''

There was nothing that could be said to that. It was such a profound declaration that Naruto thought he heard his uncle speaking and not Sasuke.

''I would change the fact that you're not a morning person, but other than that, you're pretty much perfect.'' Naruto played the joker card and made a jest, as he sat in the warm feeling those words left in his chest.

''You should tell me that after you've slept over.''

Naruto instantly radiated every shade of red. There was no hiding it. He bit his lip, as he realized that his best friend was also quite audacious with his flirting techniques. There was nothing he could say but wait for the next question.

''What do you want in a relationship?''

The escalation was evident. They were both acting as if the decision was already made. Naruto tried to be as honest as possible.

''I can't exactly answer as a general question. I think every relationship has different wants. I don't need you to be my cheerleader. But with Hinata, I knew I could find that, and I knew it would make me happy. With you, I know that you have my back, even after the big event. Before you decided to tell me how you felt, if anyone had asked me who my best friend was, it would always be you. You were always there Sasuke. I knew that I could rely on you, despite our many fights. You're a real best friend. I don't know if I want that in a relationship but I don't see it as being a bad thing either. Far from it. From you, I would want you to be honest with me. You can rely on me. I would want communication and cooperation, if we choose to discover this together.'' He reminded himself that there were still more questions they needed to ask before the night ran out.

''I really love how oblivious you are to your own eloquence Naruto. You say there wonderful things to me, in the privacy of this moment and I am even more resolute with my decision. I want everything that you're going to give me in a relationship, whatever that is. I know myself well enough now to start learning more about you.''

''And here you call me poetic. That last line sounded like something from a poem.''

''I guess I should write poetry then.''

''While you're at it, can you tell me what your favorite chocolate is, whatever that may be, like type, or brand.''

''Dark chocolate. Seventy percent or above. I don't have much of a preference other than that. And you?''

''Milk chocolate and almonds. I used to get them when I was younger and could eat a whole bag.''

There were lots of treats and snacks for their lunch the next day in their own bags but no sweets such as those. Naruto reached over into one of the cardboard boxes and found a box of cupcakes that he hid in the mix. Why wait until tomorrow for them? There was a chocolate one and its opposite, vanilla; secretly, he wanted the chocolate, but when he discovered that Sasuke appreciated dark chocolate, he handed it over instead.

The Uchiha thanked him, before asking, ''Have you been keeping track of the questions? I haven't.''

Naruto shook his head 'no' between mouthfuls of the cupcake. He finally said, ''I've got one, if you want to hear it. Last one, how about that?''

Sasuke agreed to the blonde's idea; he glanced at his cellphone and the time crept by them quickly.

''What's your favorite thing about me?'' Naruto asked, as the last of his questions.

''Your smile.''

Naruto granted his wish and smiled brightly. It made his heart flutter when the Uchiha smiled back at him.

"I knew you would say that. It's not just about my smile anymore Sasuke, it's about yours. I always get to see you smile now. And you're…so handsome when you do. That's my favorite thing too about you.''

Naruto blushed such a dark red just then, as he murmured his secret thoughts, that Sasuke's heart stopped beating for a second; he wanted to kiss Naruto so badly right then. This was the perfect moment that he originally wanted but it was not up to him…to decide. If only he could just lean in and confidently steady those blue eyes that were completely focused on him.

''Thank you,'' he said finally, as his heartbeat settled to a calm rhythm. Naruto's confidence was sometimes absolutely breathtaking. He had to remember to keep breathing.

''You know…'' Sasuke continued with a quiet murmur, ''I really want to kiss you right now.''

Naruto sat there wordlessly in the intensity of the moment. ''I know,'' he finally replied. ''You really do know how to embarrass me.'' He could not help but say, as he looked away and sighed irresolutely. It was still a lot for him to think about and that would weigh heavily on his decision.

Sasuke could sense the sudden hesitance and so he wanted Naruto to look at him again, to quell those resurfacing anxieties of his; so he brazenly reached out and audaciously tugged at the warm earlobe between his fingers. The blonde shot back around, trying not to giggle out loud, and he caught the offending hand in his own. His face was completely abashed, as Naruto admitted, ''my ears are kinda…sensitive.''

''Nice to know,'' Sasuke retorted, only now realizing that his hand was no longer his own. Naruto was holding onto it again.

''Well Sasuke, I was going to save this trick, but I happen to know that you're…'' Naruto left Sasuke in the suspense of his answer, distracting him with a mysterious grin, as he leaned over and began to tickle his friend. He knew exactly where to touch Sasuke to make him laugh. That sound was almost music to him, a rich baritone chuckle erupting from the Uchiha's chest. His sides were completely ticklish, especially the dip right above his hips.

Naruto was laughing maniacally, having remembered that Shikamaru once told him of Sasuke's secret. He spent a lot of time thinking about his best friend now and the thought came back to him in that moment. There he was, Sasuke Uchiha, being tickled by Naruto Uzumaki, on a random park bench. It was only fair to embarrass him as well. In the scuffle, Sasuke attempted to free his hand from Naruto, but ended up being pulled closer instead. It was almost too much to contain. He surrendered by hugging Naruto against his chest and spoiling himself in the warmth. The tickling stopped.

It satisfied him that Naruto melted into the embrace and happily rested his chin on Sasuke's shoulder. All of his senses were overwhelmed by Sasuke now, from his scent to his soft fingertips resting on his back. A shiver ran down Naruto's spine; it definitely did not tickle though.

''I really like hugs too,'' Naruto murmured, as he slowly pulled away. He felt almost guilty staring at Sasuke intimately and still not reacting to him; that face was extremely kissable, pale and stained with a hot blush, surrounded by messy black hair.

He found himself reaching over and fixing the wayward raven strands.

''I like having someone play with my hair,'' That same face was teasing Naruto again with a devilish smirk that almost mirrored his earlier one.

''I'll remember that,'' Naruto said, as his fingers slid free of the fine strands. He felt the sudden urge to ask, ''do you like having your hair long?''

''I thought we were done with the questions,'' came the jesting reply instead of a real answer.

Naruto pouted at the amused expression on Sasuke's countenance. The Uchiha continued, ''we have to leave some things to the imagination, after all.''

''You're so random sometimes.''

''I guess you're rubbing off on me.''

Although Naruto's mouth opened to speak, only an awkward laugh escaped. It was better to say nothing. Instead, he stood up from the bench and began to stretch. ''No more questions then.'' he said as he watched Sasuke rise as well.

''Well, I do have one. It's not really a question though.''

''Only if you answer mine.''

''I want to see you again, just like this.''

''How about we meet for practice tomorrow morning and I'll sleep on it, so that we can talk then.''

His answer was not definitive but there was only so much Sasuke could say or do, before he pushed too hard. The Uchiha had no intention of doing that. He already felt elated and lucky even, for their night to end this positively.

''I do like keeping my hair long.'' Sasuke finally murmured as they started to slowly walk back.

''It suits you.'' Naruto said and those words were the last spoken for a while; they continued on in silence, each secretly listening to their own ecstatic heartbeats.

Naruto could feel the warmth still radiating from his cheeks, just from being in Sasuke's presence. His blush darkened when he saw that Sasuke was slyly smirking at him. That same audacious hand that tickled his ear before enveloped his own, even as they strolled through the dwindling crowds. There were fewer people now; barely anyone noticed them as the lights of the festivals slowly extinguishing around them.

The ringtone from Sasuke's phone announced that their ride was presently waiting. It was the chime that caused their fingers to disentangle themselves and for them to act casual and calm, as they had discussed prior. Naruto stopped near the entrance; he could not help himself, as he suddenly grinned and said, with a teasing voice. ''You shouldn't ever be jealous Sasuke Uchiha, it doesn't suit you. Earlier today, you worried way too much.'' This was the only chance he would have to say it sincerely. ''And you shouldn't, because you already have all of my attention.''

**-=TBC=-**


	7. The timing of things

**-=Chapter 7 – The timing of things=-**

The hours of the night were now reserved for contemplation and definitely not rest. Naruto was certain of this now. There was nothing that could will him to sleep decently that night. This time, he was not even thinking about Hinata or Sakura – his thoughts were only of Sasuke. That handsome smile. His deep reassuring voice. His seductive eyes. The suggestive questions. The new secrets that were revealed. All of these elements swirled into the charismatic Sasuke that kept Naruto completely interested by his answers and confident demeanor.

Naruto realized that there was no denying it now. Not after what he said. He was falling for this more laid back and undefended version Sasuke. Nothing happened though. Sasuke had only smiled at him, which he almost never did, until a few days ago. He kept his composure and patience eventually won him an indulgent hug, on the park benches. It was incredibly warm and relaxing.

The car ride back was a silent one after Hidan’s initial barrage of questions. _Where did the dog come from? Did they meet any nice girls? Did they score any telephone numbers?_ Sasuke silenced Hidan with dango, a treat he also indulged in, which Naruto was thankful for as well. After that, they played games on their cellphones and compared high scores, nothing out of the usual for them. Naruto smiled enchantingly one last time as he said good night and closed the car door.

Each and every one of those moments replayed through Naruto’s mind on repeat. Even his new frog companion could not reassure his doubts and hesitations. He stared at it, played with it, and left it on the pillow beside his head. It made him cry again but at the same time, also made him ridiculously happy. His eyes were closed and yet the darkness still eluded him.

There was something there – he could feel it. Something unsaid or intangible. Was it desire? The sexual undertones were starting to surface; the attraction was undeniably strong and pulled them together naturally. But it was so fast, even after they agreed not to rush things along. If they did become a couple, just learning how to act amongst their peers and successfully lie to their families would be incredibly hard challenges to face, right out of the starting gate. Naruto dithered confining certain things to Iruka but realized that he would never lie to either of his uncles if they started asking the right questions. He would have to tell them or straight out ask them for privacy in his romantic life. This could also be problematic to Sasuke. Naruto knew not to assume too much though but mentally reminded himself that this would be worth discussing, amid everything else that needed to be said, in the morning. There was Itachi to consider with Sasuke, if Naruto trusted Iruka as his confidante.

That was just the start. Their date was genuinely fun; he could not deny this fact. Naruto relished in Sasuke’s light romantic touches all throughout the night. They made him feel warm and cared for. He had not expected his best friend to be so alluring and to charm him so easily and boldly but he did. It amused him because now he truly related to the many women he knew that fell hard for the usually stoic and blunt Uchiha prodigy. Sasuke’s hardened mask was never present when he smiled at him though. He kept showing Naruto new parts of his personality that perhaps he had not realized even existed. That continued to astound Naruto profoundly. Knowing someone romantically was incredibly different from just being best friends. Was this who Sasuke really was, under the many layers of reservation? Sasuke was always silent and now Naruto was solely privileged to his personal opinions and private sentiments.

Was he wrong in thinking that this was all very sudden? Was he simply in denial? Sasuke was…definitely worth it. But it was still felt rushed somehow…

There was also the matter of Sakura that lingered at the back of his mind. He wanted to be honest with Sasuke and also demonstrate that he could be open about his emotions as well. However, his sentiments were virtually overwhelming, fueled by embarrassed blushing and blossoming hormones. His thoughts were constantly consumed with his rival and he did not want to hurt him ever. From earnest curiosity, to admiration, and now onto attraction, Naruto knew what he had to talk to Sasuke about.

Only one thing really stood in the way now…

At least, that’s what he thought, before finally falling asleep.

____________________________________________________

Naruto had told him good night in that beautiful voice of his and yet Sasuke’s night was spent tossing and turning under his sheets. It was just as arduously tiresome for him. He remembered clearly how wildly his heart was beating as he watched Naruto walk into his building, before they drove away. The image of Naruto glancing back and waving was etched into his memory all night. The erratic beating in his chest did not steady until he found his gift and attached it to one of the few rings on his keychain. There were only three keys and now it had a charm that he would treasure, even after the enamel chipped away from the steel.

That fan also reminded him of his lineage and the expectation thrust upon his shoulders. They weighed him down to a reality where his actions, he knew, would be completely forbidden by his father. He could vividly recall his father’s temper and outrage towards Itachi’s secret relationship. Yet, even that was not enough to deter him. Sasuke trusted in his decision and did not need his father’s consent. A tiny piece of his heart would always belong to Naruto.

The Uchiha was proud of himself for overcoming his fears and developing into a strongminded and firm individual that trusted in his own abilities. He could answer almost any question Naruto asked and he was positive that there would be dozens more in the morning. They were certain to discuss the tournament and its upcoming reservations. He steadied his nerves but even clearing his mind could not help him to slumber any quicker. It was past three before fatigue smothered his thoughts into a few hours of rest.

Until then, however, he very closely thought about what exactly he wanted to express to Naruto. Sasuke wanted to thank his best friend for allowing him to open up and be true to himself. Even if Naruto had said no, he still felt like they could salvage their friendship and move past the attraction. Sasuke understood that loving someone who did not reciprocate could damage his heart permanently. Only a fool would date someone who was not genuinely interested in them. In the end, he felt like a coward in his relationship with Sakura, because he no longer wanted to be with her and yet remained for two months, regardless of knowing that he was leading her on.

However, Sasuke could now genuinely admit that he was falling in love with Naruto.

Honesty and secrecy intermingled, becoming the same, as they were honest with each other and lying to everyone else. He grasped that this was a sensitive situation, even to him. He did not want to overwhelm Naruto either. Instead, Sasuke realized that the only way Naruto could ever return his love would be to see how he truly felt, deep down inside. There were no more fake hostilities. Naruto, as his kendo rival, was not an outlet for his misdirected anger; he was his best friend.

This was his motivation…and it seemed to be working.

 _I should be able to say anything to him_ , he thought to himself, once again, in the middle of the night, unable to sleep.

Once he finally admitted to himself that he was attracted to Naruto, he had that same thought cross his mind.

Sasuke wanted to finally show Naruto the respect he deserved. As he told himself these things, it became easier to open up to the adorable blonde and still feel comfortable, admitting secrets to him and to himself. He truly enjoyed their conversations. They could peacefully sit through a moment of silence without it being awkward or uneasy together. All he really wanted was to hold his hand again.  

Naruto brought out the best in him, just by being around. They spent almost every day training together. Sasuke found weekends strange, when he did not see or hear from Naruto. They often met online, playing various games until ridiculous hours in the morning. Or sent each other text messages. Sometimes, they even met with a larger group of friends and hit up the arcades for entertainment.

The Uchiha never really saw his rival as his equal until the end of the first tournament, when he lost to him. It was inevitable that they then began to spar together and eventually train regularly with one another and within the year, they called each other friends. The moment they did, Sasuke won the second tournament, and the rueful blonde told him that he was his best friend and very glad to call him that.

They were equal in all sense of the word.

Sasuke wanted his partner to be his equal as well.

And very slowly, he began to acknowledge how profound his feelings were. He was almost certain that this was love…  
  
_________________________________________

The qualifying round of the world championship tournament would finally determine which of the adversaries settled their rivalry. The last person to hold the title was Uchiha, Itachi. The weight was obvious on Sasuke’s shoulders. Naruto came from a champion as well, his grandfather, who held the title successively, many moons ago, as the author often said jokingly.

The tournament always began early in the morning, along with a ceremony to celebrate the past heroes of the sport. The opening matches were a formality, in order to place the competitors in the eight different groupings. If one of them lost in their first match, then the odds of them being in the same group increased. That outcome was still a real possibility. No one wanted to see them match off immediately. So long as they both won, then they could not possibly meet until the main stage of the world championship, each as a victor for one of the top eight slots.

But what if they were paired in the same category?

If the odds were truly against them, they would inevitably meet in the ring that day and only one of them would move onto the next round of the tournament…    

The Uchiha always arrived punctually and Uzumaki, Naruto was notoriously late. Sasuke was impressed though; he was only two minutes tardy today.

Naruto entered the gym, where he found Sasuke, in his full attire, sitting cross legged before his kendo stick.

‘’Good morning! Sleep well?’’

‘’Not at all, if we’re being honest.’’ Sasuke deliberately chose his words to emphasize his attempt at opening up immediately; they both had heavy bags under their eyes, he could tell.

‘’Me either. I wasn’t even with you and you kept me up.’’ Naruto laughed; he usually tried to make an offhanded joke when he was tense.

‘’I could say the same to you.’’

There was only a brief moment of hesitation and some awkward chuckles before Naruto decidedly took the lead. ‘’I guess we should just get right to it then.’’

Sasuke matched Naruto’s bold approach, by asking in turn, as if to guess, ‘’you’re worried about fighting me before the final round, aren’t you?’’

Naruto simply stared and his mouth fell open in disbelief. ‘’Get out of my head. It’s too early for psychics…but…you’re right. I’m worried that we’ll get stuck having to eliminate one another in the opening grouping. I would hate myself if that happened, either outcome.’’

Sasuke sighed heavily, ‘’I understand your point of view. But will that affect the idea of us being in a relationship?’’

‘’I don’t really know. I’ve never been in a serious relationship before. I can’t imagine myself being jealous of you, if you win, but I am afraid that it would somehow sour what we could be working on. And besides, the tournament is six months away…I also feel like we’re skipping ahead here and maybe moving too fast…’’

Although Naruto’s worries were justifiable, Sasuke could clearly perceive that Naruto was fearful of resentment. He did not want Sasuke to hate him, if he won, and they broke up after, for instance. Or if they parted ways before the tournament, it could possibly color their feelings for one another and the respect in their bond of friendship. Naruto could not bear hurting his friends and he knew that breaking up with someone would be extremely difficult to do, when you still cared for that person. Sasuke had told him this after his rupture from Sakura.

‘’Naruto, I know what you’re getting at. I want you to know though that I will never resent you for anything, if you decide to go through with us, and we then break up. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk to me. If it isn’t working, you have to trust that I’m not blind and will see it too if we’re not compatible. I’ll know if your heart isn’t in it. I can’t force you to… have feelings for me. All I can tell you, if it reassures you in any way, is that I’m not going to let my feelings for you stop me from either beating you, or losing respectfully to you, in any given round of the tournament.’’

Naruto took a moment to process Sasuke’s elaborate answer.

Again, the blonde realized that Sasuke was reading deeper into his words, in order to comfort the hidden anxieties that existed beneath the surface and began to float into his consciousness. He felt slightly reassured but his doubts were ever present, lingering in the background of his thoughts.

‘’I can be your partner and your rival at the same time.’’ Sasuke said and his brazen statement made his best friend flush a vibrant hue of bright red embarrassment.

‘’Sasuke, can you honestly tell me that you won’t resent me, even a little, if I beat you? Are you really that prepared to lose, or win? How can you be so certain? I feel a little overwhelmed by how polished your answer sounds.’’

The Uchiha already knew exactly what to say.

‘’I believe in myself, Naruto. You taught me that. You bring out the best of me when you’re around. I can only talk to you so openly because you accept me for who I really am. And I wanted to thank you for that.’’

Naruto was still evidently embarrassed. He scrunched his face and laughed off the compliment. ‘’You’re welcome…I guess I can’t call you _teme_ anymore.’’

‘’I won’t use _dobe_.’’

‘’You promise?’’

As if to humor Naruto, Sasuke held out his pinky. ‘’Promise.’’ They locked fingers to seal their agreement.

‘’I must admit it, Sasuke, I am pretty impressed by how well you can communicate your feelings. I get to see another side of you, you’re opening up to me... I sometimes find it difficult to be clear when I express myself, because there are no words for what I’m experiencing. I need a dozen of them just to describe how I feel, then imagine mixing them all together in a blender somehow… but then there is no longer any real way to decipher the mess. I know…I know that I like you and I understand how you came to like me. I find that we have similar views on our notion of what we want our partner to be…and yet, at the same time, the line between liking someone when you hang out, to liking someone enough to be physically attracted to them…that area is gray to me, there is no way for me to describe it.’’

Naruto hoped that the Uchiha would understand his complicated sentences and so he nervously waited for a reply. It took Sasuke a moment of silent contemplation and the blonde fretfully fidgeted with the handle of his kendo stick. He could not bear to look across to his rival during that painfully long minute.

‘’That was a mouthful. I feel like I should tell you that when I’m with you, I know that I have to be straightforward and direct for your sake but you also let me be silent and pensive as well. I like just talking to you about anything, like when we chat about a game from the past, highlight our favorite parts, then sit silently in the nostalgia of our memories, before we skip to something else entirely. To me, that shows how effortlessly our personalities blend together, when we can accommodate each other without even truly noticing it ourselves. It makes me happier than when I am with anyone else. You’re worth making the effort for and I do it every day now for you…’’ Sasuke also blushed shyly, albeit briefly, as he spoke the last string of his sentence.

The Uzumaki was relieved that Sasuke understood and even offered insight into his own inner happiness.

‘’I had never thought of that before, really. But it makes sense. I always try to impress everyone, or make them happy, but with you, it took forever for you to even look at me like I had become your equal. I couldn’t even get you to laugh at my lame jokes or get you in trouble. I realize that I always wanted your attention because I felt that you were special, like me, and that we would recognize this in each other. Lame, huh, because I never said those things, instead I said _teme_ a lot and I got mad at you instead of just saying how cool I thought you were.’’ Naruto gave a cheeky grin as his excuse for calling up the nickname so soon.

‘’I said _dobe_ just as much. I only now see that I was redirecting my frustrations onto you, because you were trying so hard to seek everyone’s attention, all the time. I was annoyed that you needed their approval, when to me, it was always meaningless.’’ Sasuke said.

‘’It’s not their approval I wanted. I wanted respect. I figured that I could only earn it from you, after you were set as the standard of glory amongst our peers. You’re still one of the first people to ever truly respect me for who I am.’’

‘’I do see you as my equal Naruto.’’

‘’You’re my rival too Sasuke.’’

They smiled jokingly at each other. It was incredibly liberating to laugh away their tensions and anxieties.

‘’Can we get in a good spar?’’ Sasuke prompted, and they left the conversation there for now.  
  
___________________________________________

That morning, Naruto had begged Kakashi to spare them from rigorous training, so that they may discuss several things privately. He promised to train over the weekend but Kakashi scolded him nonetheless for his request. He had canceled every practice that week so that the boys could talk. This annoyed him since the tournament was approaching and he knew that hormones would interfere with their focuses.

‘’You both have priorities that you are neglecting.’’

Naruto’s counter worked like a charm though, ‘’you get to sleep in.’’

Before he even left his uncle’s room, Kakashi was snoring loudly again. He disagreed with the antagonizing comment he received, for he knew that they were both tremendously serious about their training routines and would catch up on their own. Even if Kakashi was not present to critique their skills, they were determined enough to finish their weekly regiment without his supervision or guidance and still manage to communicate their feelings.

Once the hundreds of questions dried up in the river of his mind, Naruto found focusing again easy. He slipped into the zone, where he reacted on instinct, instead of analysis. Sasuke, his natural opposite, relied on his mind to systematically decipher his and his opponent’s next move; therefore, he was always able to push out his concerns and find his rhythm just as quickly, by analyzing Naruto’s form. It became second nature to them both and they barely noticed it anymore.

The transition from their fighting stance to their casual demeanors came almost as effortlessly. It began with Naruto’s laughter and smile, as it almost always did. The blonde was clearly exhausted and his arms simply let out, as he was trying to defend the oncoming blow with his kendo stick. The force of Sasuke’s hit could not be successfully blocked and absorbed, and so the momentum of the attack caused the Uchiha to stumble into his opponent. They both ended up on the gym mats.

‘’Sorry, my arms gave out and I lost balance.’’ Naruto explained to his best friend, who was suddenly above him, but on his knees.

It was terribly awkward for both of them; Naruto had toppled over and landed hard on his backside. Sasuke staggered forward as well, when his swing was not met with resistance, and he ended up falling forward onto his knees, at either side of Naruto’s stomach, in order to avoid landing on him. This same incident had happened several times before but now it was no longer just funny and brushed off but practically intimate. Everything they did together took on another layer of meaning, Naruto realized and his cheeks darkened.

‘’No worries.’’ Sasuke replied and Naruto swore he heard a tremor in the Uchiha’s voice. Was he nervous? Or shy from what happened? Embarrassed even?

Sasuke rose to his feet abruptly, after his comment but still offered the blonde his hand. Naruto accepted and once again, they stood eye to eye. The connection did not linger but Naruto could feel Sasuke’s warm digits caress his palm, ever so slightly. He could not help but notice now and yet probably never did before. Although he secretly appreciated the tenderness that his best friend could display, he felt guilty inside for enjoying it so much. Only a few days ago, were his thoughts consumed with Hinata and Sakura and now, as every day passed, he watched his connection with Sasuke grow.

That meant that Sasuke deserved the truth. Naruto had agonized over whether or not he should discuss with Sasuke what he said to Sakura. The thought only struck him hard that same morning, as he realized that a part of him was eager to see Sasuke again and discuss what was on his mind. Clarity brought him peace and unbeknownst to him, even closer to his best friend. He also understood that it was unfair to leave Sasuke in the dark about these matters and that with honesty, they could strengthen their bond.  

‘’Hey, Sasuke…’’ Naruto said, as he began to shuffle in place. ‘’There’s still one thing I want to talk to you about…but it’s kinda hard for me to say.’’

The Uchiha blinked a few times, surprised by the sudden interjection, as he was desperately trying not to blush an obvious crimson color, from being stared at so intensely. Instead of sounding unsure and hesitant, he simply nodded, not able to trust his own mouth and the words that could possibly escape from it.

‘’Well, I’ve noticed that I often feel guilty, when I feel like there’s a connection or a spark between us. I’ve been thinking about this a lot…and I have to confess that before I agreed to go on our date and see if our sentiments could possibly align…’’ He sighed heavily, which caused Sasuke to stop breathing in anticipation. ‘’…I went and seen Sakura and told her that I still had feelings for her.’’

The entire room went silent and Naruto barely heard him ask it but Sasuke responded with, ‘’Can I ask why?’’

They were very aware of each other’s discomfort with this situation. Sakura was no longer a part of Sasuke’s life and yet it seemed like she was ever present in Naruto’s.

‘’I told her that my feelings for her never really died, after the first time I confessed to her. I also explained to her that I wasn’t interested in Hinata and felt like a douchebag for leading her on, thinking that my flirting with her would make Sakura jealous instead of supportive. I hoped that she would realize that I was great boyfriend material and she would regret passing me over. But Sakura turned me down again. She really does not love me. She is no longer interested in dating. What I really wanted to tell you, Sasuke, was that I realized that by talking to her, I could let my feelings go instead of hanging onto something that was never there in the first place. Letting her go felt like I was tying up all my lose ends and that by liberating myself from my old emotions, I could let new ones blossom…I wanted to make sure I was giving you the chance you deserved.’’  
  
It was incredibly difficult not to drown in sudden self-doubt and unsteady nerves but as Naruto tried to lock eyes with Sasuke, the Uchiha turned away. His heart in that instant began beating erratically, to the point of panic. All he wanted to do was reassure Sasuke and yet he now felt as if he suddenly screwed everything up. The silence was smothering him and so he began talking anew, if only to dispel the void around them.

‘’Please Sasuke…I’m not trying to hurt you. I know you probably see my actions very differently from what I meant them to be… I just had to be certain that I could let myself actually be open to someone new, after all these things happened.’’  
  
‘’Thank you for your explanation. I’m not going to lie to you, it hurts hearing this because I have feelings for you but I understand why you did it. I appreciate your honesty and with it, I can’t misconstrue your actions as an attack. You don’t have to justify why you did it, I just want to ask you one thing. Would you have told her about us if she had said yes to you?’’

Although Naruto was relieved that Sasuke did not just walk away from him, he also realized that he had no idea what Sasuke’s reaction could have been. The question was easy for him to answer. Even as the Uchiha spoke, he knew what it would be and nodded his head vigorously.

‘’Without a doubt. I would never lie to either of you. You’re my best friends. I would have told her that I was interested in you, and I would have even told her about that kiss. I would have also explained to her that I still had feelings for her after she initially rejected me and about how I wanted Hinata to make her jealous. I could never hurt either of you deliberately. I thought I was being fair, by giving her a last chance…if I could even call it that…but I was only selfishly catering to my own heart, right?’’

Naruto’s eyes fell downcast and his shoulders slumped forward; he was incredibly disappointed with himself, as he finished his answer. He felt foolish and naïve for being so confused by his unbalanced emotions.

Sasuke knew it was selfish of him but he reached over and took Naruto’s hand, if only to hold it, as he squeezed it reassuringly.

‘’By talking to me and being honest, we will be able to work through issues like these. I know that you are not a selfish person, Naruto. You’re allowed to have your own interests. If you’ve really still had feelings for her, this whole time, and you had no idea that I had feelings for you…then how could you have known. You were following your heart, just like I am mine.’’

In that moment, all Naruto could think of was kissing Sasuke again and what that would mean by doing so. He was so incredibly kissable, especially after speaking such powerfully confident words. There was no other way to describe the stir of emotions within him but he knew that that was exactly how it felt. He wanted to kiss him. The feeling was there. He recognized it. It was like one of those scenes from a movie, when the chemistry between two people is tangible and one person reaches over and draws the other into a locking of lips. He could have done that right then, he realized. It was entirely possible. The thought made him blush.

Instead, Naruto murmured very quietly, ‘’thank you.’’

‘’Thank you for opening up to me about it.’’ Sasuke echoed the sentiment.

Naruto was smiling openly again, he could not help himself. He also realized that by doing so, Sasuke always began to grin back at him.

‘’We should go change.’’

Sasuke still held Naruto’s hand, so he led him along to the locker room. It thrilled him that Naruto did not let go and followed, a step behind.

‘’So are we still going to have lunch together? I brought all the leftovers to eat but it’s way too much.’’

‘’Sure. I brought everything back as well, except for Itachi’s dango.’’

‘’You know, we have enough food for like twelve people. We had lots of stuff.’’ Naruto commented, recalling the items that he wanted to sample again the most.

‘’Why don’t we ask our friends to join. Just so long as you don’t keep smiling at me all the time.’’ Sasuke said and finished with an unexpected jest. Naruto never noticed now that he was constantly beaming. It was hard for Sasuke to resist reminding him, because he knew that he was the cause of it.

That radiant happiness made Sasuke want to kiss him all the more.

Naruto rolled his eyes and scoffed, ‘’Yes mister charmer. That’s a good idea. Let’s see if you can resist flirting with me in public.’’

‘’It’s going to be so hard.’’ Sasuke deadpanned and his reply was met with joyful laughter.

Their hands finally disconnected as they parted for their lockers. Naruto always used the left side of the room and Sasuke was always on the right wall, closer to the sinks. It was a habit they shared, to reuse the same numbered cabinets. Naruto’s was 1010 and Sasuke’s 0723. Only after three months of training each week did they noticed that the digits represented their birthdays.

_‘’I thought you just wanted to be far away from me.’’ Naruto had laughed about this immensely._

They went about their routine and Sasuke was waiting for Naruto at the exit, leaning against the door. Those dark eyes had yet to rise from the screen on his phone, so he did not notice the innocent blue orbs gazing curiously at him. Naruto realized that this would be the last time that they would speak for a few days and it suddenly made him nervous, without really knowing why. He hated that his feelings were torn because he also wished that this departure would not be so incredibly awkward and that they could act normally again, like when they played videogames together. After everything that occurred all week, Naruto just wanted a few more days to mull things over.  

‘’Hey Sasuke, so I know that we weren’t going to see each other for a few days, at least…not without our friends, and well…’’

Sasuke offered an answer instead, as Naruto fumbled for the right words. ‘’You don’t want to rush things…I know, Naruto. It’s fine. We’ll hang out with our friends later and tomorrow we’ll only see each other in class.’’

‘’It’s just been a crazy week and I don’t want you to think that I’m ignoring or avoiding you. I have my project tonight with Shino, and then tomorrow night my grandfather is arriving so I’ll be with him all weekend training. I just want time to think stuff over and get my head together. And with the tournament coming up soon…’’

For someone who rarely felt that nervous, or had major self-doubts, Naruto spent his entire week racked with confusion and anxiety. His emotions were like a rollercoaster, ranging anywhere from shy and embarrassed, to confident, and to nervous once again, almost daily now and especially around Sasuke. He just needed a break or something to distract him, like Jiraiya and their intense training routines. It was not as if he were procrastinating his decision but since it would affect the rest of his life, he wanted to sleep soundly on it and consider all of the implications more thoroughly.

‘’I get it. I don’t want to rush you either.’’

Naruto smiled in relief and the awkward moment was washed away from their tense nerves with such a simple gesture. Sasuke had tried to remain calm, even though his heart was beating rapidly in his chest, because he had also realized that this departure would be uncomfortable and uneasy for both of them. However, Sasuke was patient and refused to overly worry; he was not going to let those thoughts consume him all weekend.

‘’Good. I’m glad talking to you is so easy.’’ Naruto said, almost as if a compliment, before transitioning into safer waters; he spoke of their their lunch gathering, later that afternoon and the small details. ‘’I’m going to text everyone and tell them of our idea. I hope you don’t mind if I take all the credit.’’ He laughed out loud.

They agreed on who to text and where to rendezvous and with a casual wave back at Sasuke and a playful grin, Naruto headed to his locker for his books. The first bell would ring any minute. Sasuke was only slightly disappointed that Naruto did not hug him that morning and so he settled for the smirk and indulged himself for a minute by staring at the blonde’s back side, as he walked away. 

______________________________________________________

The bell sounded for lunch and the full classrooms emptied out into the hallways of the immense school. No sooner did Naruto exit his class, Kiba caught up and joined him on the walk to their lockers.

‘’So you’re offering everyone lunch today?’’ The brunette immediately inquired.

Kiba, amongst a few others, had received the same text message from Naruto earlier that morning. He had not seen the blonde during their first morning break to confirm the invite; Naruto had to stay after class to discuss certain matters with their teacher.

‘’That’s the idea. I got so much food yesterday and there’s no way I can eat it all. We have enough for a banquet.’’

‘’We?’’ Kiba could not help but ask.

‘’Oh yea,’’ Naruto opened his locker and began handing Kiba various boxes and bags from inside, ‘’Sasuke has the rest.’’

It became much easier for Naruto to focus on his school lessons now that his head was not clouded and overwhelmed by his erratic emotions. His thoughts were much clearer so far and he only felt slightly nervous about hanging out with his best friend in a crowd of people and that was only because he had admitted to himself that he was sort of physically attracted to Sasuke. But that was it. At least, that specific thought no longer bothered him. He was still determined not to rush things though; they had agreed to spend time apart, which relieved him.

‘’Sasuke, huh? I wasn’t expecting that.’’

‘’I’ll explain when we get there, I don’t feel like repeating myself a dozen times.’’

The two of them headed outside, where they met up with Shikamaru and Choji, who were already waiting for them near the trees, in the afternoon shade.

‘’So what’s for lunch, Naruto?’’ Choji asked curiously, as he eyed the white boxes that the blonde and Kiba were holding. He was grinning from ear to ear already.

‘’Man, everyone is so curious. I’m glad we had this idea. You guys will love it. There’s even more on the way.’’

Naruto swatted Choji’s hands away when he attempted to open one of the bags that contained the desserts. Any further efforts at sneaking a peak were forgotten though when Lee came sprinting towards them, out of breath. Shino arrived a minute later; he had refused to compete in Lee’s running challenge. He was followed closely by Suigetsu and Sasuke, who were also carrying lots of boxes.

Sasuke had enlisted Suigetsu to assist him and the entire time, his friend kept complaining about having to spend his lunch hour with Naruto and the other guys from their classes. They were lame, in his opinion but then again, Suigetsu followed nonetheless. He was insanely curious as to why and how Sasuke and Naruto procured themselves a banquet meal to share with so many. 

‘’Hey guys, thanks for coming.’’  Naruto resisted the urge at first to make eye contact with Sasuke but told himself to act naturally and he was able to meet the Uchiha’s gaze indifferently before continuing his speech. ‘’So Sasuke and I were at the Matsuri festival in Yokohama yesterday and since his parents are rich, we got to bring back samples from every food vendor there. They were really generous too. We just kept asking for more and they made us more.’’

The statement of simple facts that Naruto pronounced had been rehearsed over and over in his mind, before lunch time had finally arrived. He announced that they hung out together but nothing more and did not leave anything to the imagination. There were no insinuations. Still, he was expecting Kiba to ask a prodding question, especially after the whole Hinata incident. ‘’Why were you guys at Yokohama?’’

Sasuke had also mentally prepared various things to say, in order to steady his nerves. He had no idea why his first statement felt hard to say though, even despite his rehearsing, ‘’My parents were supposed to go and had to cancel, so I asked Naruto to come an meet girls with me.’’

Kiba’s gaze shifted to Naruto and he seemed cross with the blonde. His glare was instense.

Naruto knew exactly why; Sasuke’s answer made it seem like Naruto was over Hinata instantly and onto his next new dalliance, as if he had not just hurt their friend. It also did not help that Kiba liked Hinata, as much as he himself liked Sakura, when her eyes were on Sasuke. He tried to ignore his angry friend, as he added, ‘’we were recognized by these really cute twins but it got awkward because their father was there with them.’’

That made Chouji and Lee laugh. ‘’Super awkward.’’

‘’I know right,’’ Naruto joined them in laughter.

Sasuke could not help but think to himself, _as if that just happened_ ; he wanted to chuckle so much but that would make him appear strange and so he bit back the chortles and grinned cockily, as if to agree with the blonde’s statement. Those twins…

‘’So Naruto was your wingman?’’ Suigetsu was almost horrified, as he asked and appeared insulted. ‘’Seriously, you could do so much better for a wingman. Like me.’’ He grinned wickedly; anything free always pleased Suigetsu. Girls were a bonus. ‘’Did you at least get their numbers?’’ He said to Sasuke, but Naruto answered for them both.

He feigned a sad face and sniffed, ‘’nope.’’

‘’Better luck next time.’’ Lee commented and the boys all chuckled.

‘’So what are we eating?’’ Choji said again, more interested in the food than their talk of the opposite sex.

Naruto hushed him with a box, ‘’here, open it. Have fun.’’

Everyone took something and commented on what they believed was inside. There was a wide variety. Once everything was revealed, they all took plates and called dibs on what they wanted to try first. Kiba and Chouji fought over the last meat skewer, until Shikamaru snapped it in half and gave them each a piece, ‘’so troublesome.’’ He muttered.

They all partook in the small talk; Naruto revealed that he had detention next week for missing the deadline for his report in Economics. That explained his absence during the first break that morning. The blonde sighed with self-pity. Another lunch lost.

Shikamaru brought up video games and told Sasuke of his newest purchase, which he was especially pleased with, the beta version of Fall Out 4.

‘’How did you even get that?’’ Sasuke could not help but inquire. That instantly peaked his curiosity.

‘’I know someone, who knows someone.’’ Shikamaru replied casually, which meant that he knew of a game tester willing to sell his copy online. Sasuke knew this already; Shikamaru always invited him to play new unreleased games with him. But this one was rare. They were both quite skilled at first person shooter gameplay and they were both meticulous at exploring every possible nook and cranny of a game. Especially betas.

‘’You free Wednesday night to play, since there’s no school next Thursday?’’

‘’I am so incredibly jealous right now,’’ Naruto blurted out, ‘’I want to play too.’’

‘’I want in too, Shikamaru, after I watched the trailer and saw the dog sidekick, I knew I had to buy it.’’ Kiba stated, as if to reinforce why he should be invited as well.

Shikamaru sighed, ‘’guys night then?’’

Naruto and Kiba high fived each other in excitement and Sasuke finally accepted the invitation. It meant less individual play time but Naruto would be there as well and so far that was still a very good thing. More social time with their friends. Sasuke was not worried; even Naruto could not distract him from a great video game.

Lee declined, as he disliked most video games, unless sport themed. Shino and Chouji said no as well for other reasons, family and prior commitments.

Both Naruto and Sasuke had worried too much before lunch; it became easier as the time passed to pretend that there was nothing at all secretive between them. The blonde did sneak the occasional glance at Sasuke for a few seconds and he knew that the Uchiha was doing the same. There were enough people to keep the conversation buzzing with random topics and when the dessert boxes were opened, everyone indulged. Sasuke took the hand crafted chocolates and let them melt on his tongue. Naruto had cheesecake, drizzled with caramel sauce and lamented how he only got to have one piece. The desserts were even better than the meal and yet they still had a box of assorted pieces left.

‘’I know,’’ Lee said, ‘’we should invite Sakura, Ino, and Ten Ten over. They’re over there, I can see them walking.’’ The problem with Lee was that when an idea struck him, instead of waiting for anyone’s opinion, he just acted immediately. He was already jogging towards them by the end of his sentence. And of course, they followed him back.

‘’Ouh, these look good.’’ Ino smiled and stole a baked good, a cookie sprinkled with powdered sugar.

The girls were happy to steal a snack. Lee was always kind to others and now, there was nothing left of the banquet. It had all been consumed.

‘’So where’s Hinata?’’ Kiba could not help but notice that their fourth member was absent even though he had seen her in class earlier that day.

‘’Oh, she doesn’t have lunch here anymore. Violin practice, apparently.’’

Ten Ten’s comment hit Naruto square in the face and it showed. It made him uneasy, especially since Kiba was glaring smugly at him again.

Sasuke grit his teeth; he felt uneasy seeing Naruto so ashamed of himself. He could tell that his best friend felt guilty, as if it was somehow his own fault. This bothered him immeasurably.

‘’Well thank you Naruto and Sasuke for the treats. Lee said you guys were the ones that brought everything.’’ Sakura said and her voice sliced right through the awkward tension that had developed around the situation. She could feel Kiba’s animosity for Naruto and it also bothered her because she knew the real truth behind the way things unfolded. If only she could tell Kiba but it was not worth it in the end. Naruto was allowed to have secrets and Kiba was clearly jealous.

‘’These two studs were out trying to pick up ladies and failed, so instead, we all get food.’’ Suigetsu laughed, without even realizing how offensive he came off, telling his friend’s ex-girlfriend of his attempts to move on from the past. He was obviously dense.

Sakura’s civil nature seemed to fade away after Suigetsu’s remark and she narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. It lasted only a moment though, then her fury disappeared suddenly and she was smiling again.

‘’I’m glad you guys are acting like real best friends.’’ She said to Sasuke and Naruto and Ino could see her friend’s distress, so she took initiative and excused them from further conversation, ‘’bye guys!’’ she waved back at them as Sakura stomped away.

‘’You’re an idiot Suigetsu.’’ Shikamaru commented, once the girls had faded from their views.

They all agreed with a unanimous nod.

Sakura was incredibly pissed off at Suigetsu for his offhanded and rude attitude but she chose to focus on the positive instead. It made her happy as well to hear that Naruto and Sasuke were finally getting along. She could ignore Suigetsu and let the moment pass. Ino and Ten Ten helped cheer her up by distracting her but her thoughts lingered back to her best friends. She had always encouraged Sasuke to be more open to Naruto, during their entire relationship but had never seen them succeed in hanging out together, without her being around to mediate. Now, it was as if their friendship had evolved past the simple layers of bickering and rivalry and into something profound. They were there for each other, almost like brothers. Even without Sasuke at her side, she still considered him a valued friend. But it was still hard to be around him sometimes. Like today. So, she continued to hope that time would heal her fully and that she too would move on happily to someone else.

**-=TBC=-**

Also, thank you Ana93 for your review; I appreciate the feedback **.**


End file.
